human
Poor Helen! thought Douglas.
gpt
It is harder, somehow, for her than any of us. Lucy is young enough to learn the new trick of being poor very easily, and Nan is such a philosopher; and dear little Bobby won't see the difference just so he can have plenty of mud to play in; and I--oh, well--I have got so much to do I can't think about myself--I must get up and do it, too. Here I am selfishly lying in bed when I know Nan and Lucy want to hear the news from Father just as much as I did.
human
Lucy and I thought maybe we could help, so we hurried. I know you've lots to do,
gpt
That was dear of you both. Of course we won't have so much to do right now, as we have to wait for Dr. Wright to come home; and then if we can rent the house furnished, we must get everything in order. But first listen to the good news!
human
Isn't that splendid and wasn't it kind of Dr. Wright to send it to you?
gpt
I think so. If only Helen would not feel so unkindly to him! She utterly refuses to like him,
human
I don't intend to like him either, then! exclaimed Lucy.
gpt
He shan't boss me if he isn't going to boss Helen.
human
How absurd you are, laughed Nan.
gpt
You are so afraid that Helen will get something you don't have that you won't even let her have a private little dislike without wanting to have some, too. I bet if Helen got the smallpox you would think yourself abused if you didn't get it, too.
human
And in your heart of hearts you know you do like him,
gpt
Well, if I do--and--and--maybe I do, I'm not going to take anything off of him that Helen won't.
human
Well, I reckon Dr. Wright will be glad to wash his hands of us, anyhow, said Nan.
gpt
I can't see that it would be any sweet boon to look after you and Helen or any of us, for that matter.
human
I should think not, laughed Douglas;
gpt
Selling the car! wailed Lucy.
human
I think it is foolishness to do that. I'd like to know how you are to occupy Dan, the chauffeur, if we haven't a car to keep him busy.
gpt
Oh, you incorrigible girls! Of course we will have to let the chauffeur go immediately; and I've got to tell the servants to-day that we can't keep them. I'll give them all a week's warning, of course.
human
I understand all that, said Nan,
gpt
But, Douglas, Oscar has been with us since long before we were born. I don't see how you can have the heart to dismiss him,
human
Heart! I haven't the heart to let any of them go, but it would be a great deal more heartless to have them work for us with no money to pay them with.
gpt
Now, Lucy Carter, you've pretty near made Douglas cry. You sound like a half-wit to me. Heartless, indeed! If you had half of Douglas's heart and one-fourth of her sense, you wouldn't make such remarks,
human
No, she didn't make me cry, but what does make me feel bad is that Lucy and Helen can't even now realize the state of affairs. I hated to have to tell Helen she mustn't charge anything more, no matter what it is she wants.
gpt
Charge! I should say not! I think I would walk on my uppers all the rest of my life before I'd put any more burden like that on Father,
human
But don't people always charge when they haven't got any money? What will we do when we need things?
gpt
Do without, said Douglas wearily. She saw it was going to take more than a few hours or a few days to make two of her sisters realize the necessity for reconstruction of their lives.
human
Helen and I are going right after breakfast to see real estate agents about getting us a tenant, and Helen is going to purchase some cotton stockings. She still persists in sticking to the letter of her oath not to wear silk stockings until Daddy is home and well.
gpt
I'm going to wear cotton stockings, too, if Helen is.
human
So you are, so are all of us, but we are going to keep on with the ones we have until we go to the country. Helen is spending her own money, some she had, on these stockings and no one is buying them for her, and Douglas went back to her room to dress and take up the burden of the day that was beginning to seem very heavy to her young shoulders.
gpt
If only Helen and Lucy could see without being knocked down and made to see, she thought.
human
Poor Father, if he had only not been so unselfish how much better it would have been for all of us now that we have got to face life!