Arethusa returned late in the afternoon, very warm, very wilted. Aunt Mary
looked over the cotton purchase, and deigned to approve.
"But, my heavens, Arethusa," she exclaimed immediately afterwards, "if you
had any idea how dirty and dusty and altogether awful you do look, you
wouldn't be able to get to soap and water fast enough."
At that poor Arethusa sighed, and, gathering up her hat, and hat-pins, and
veil, and gloves, and purse, and handkerchief, went away to wash.
CHAPTER TWENTY - JACK'S JOY
About the first of July many agreeable things happened.
One was that Mr. Stebbins found it advisable to address a discreet letter
to John Watkins, Jr., Denham, conveying the information that although he
must not count unduly upon the future, still, if he behaved himself, he
might with safety allow his expenditures to mount upward monthly to a
certain limit. This was the way in which Aunt Mary salved her conscience
and saved her pride all at once.
"I don't want him to think that I don't mean things when I say 'em," she
had carefully explained to Mr. Stebbins, "but I can't bear to think that
there's anybody in New York without money enough to have a good time
there."
Mr. Stebbins had made a note of the sum which the allowance was to compass
and had promised to write the letter at once.
"What did you do the last time you were in the city?" Aunt Mary asked.
"I was much occupied with business," said the lawyer, "but I found time to
visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and--"
"Good gracious!" exclaimed Aunt Mary, "who was takin' you 'round! I never
had a second for any museums or arts;--you ought to have seen a vaudeville,
or that gondola place! I was ferried around four times and the music
lasted all through.
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