Page:Leah Reed--Brenda's summer at Rockley.djvu/152

136 in it; but when I feel low-spirited, I gaze at it, and try to imagine that I look like that.”

“Low-spirited,”—surely that was a rather old-fashioned word for a girl of fifteen; at least Julia thought so, as she  stole a rather searching glance at Amy.

Cousin Joan, from her little room upstairs, heard the laughing voices, and wondered who these visitors could  be. Amy was not in the habit of entertaining young girls, and the invalid spent a long half hour speculating about  them. Before they left, it had been arranged that Amy was to come over to Rockley early the following week.

“No, you need n’t send for me,” she had protested when Brenda said that Thomas and the carryall should  come for her. “In the morning I should enjoy the walk. Perhaps in the afternoon you will feel like driving me home.”

“Why, of course,” said Brenda. “I would n’t think of letting you come back alone.”

Just as the three started to bid Amy good-bye, Mrs. Redmond came back from Salem, where she had had to go on business. She was pleased to meet the girls about whom Amy had told her so much, and she quickly gave  her consent to Amy’s acceptance of the invitation.

“Amy, Amy!” called cousin Joan, as the three friends waved their farewell as they disappeared down the road. “Amy, I wish that you’d come right upstairs; I ’ve been in an almost suffering state. It must be suppertime; but you were so much taken up with your company that  of course you had n’t a thought for me.”