Jane spoke next. She echoed Eliza, but her voice was more emphatic and seemed multiple, as echoes do. "Yes, very strange indeed," said Jane.
"Dear Annie is really very singular lately. It has distressed us all, especially father," said Susan, but deprecatingly.
Then Imogen spoke, and to the point. "Annie must be in that house," said she. "She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her."Annie could fairly see the toss of Imogen's head as she spoke.
"What in thunder do you all mean?" asked Tom Reed, and there was a bluntness, almost a brutality, in his voice which was refreshing.
"I do not think such forcible language is becoming, especially at the parsonage," said Jane.
Annie distinctly heard Tom Reed snort. "Hang it if I care whether it is becoming or not," said he.
"You seem to forget that you are addressing ladies, sir," said Jane.
"Don't forget it for a blessed minute," returned Tom Reed. "Wish I could. You make it too evi-dent that you are -- ladies, with every word you speak, and all your beating about the bush. A man would blurt it out, and then I would know where I am at. Hang it if I know now. You all say that your sister is singular and that she distresses your father, and you" -- addressing Imogen -- "say that she must be in that house. You are the only one who does make a dab at speaking out; I will say that much for you. Now, if she is in that house, what in thunder is the matter?""I really cannot stay here and listen to such pro-fane language," said Jane, and she flitted up the path to the house like an enraged white moth. She had a fleecy white shawl over her head, and her pale outline was triangular.
"If she calls that profane, I pity her," said Tom Reed. He had known the girls since they were children, and had never liked Jane. He continued, still addressing Imogen. "For Heaven's sake, if she is in that house, what is the matter?" said he.
"Doesn't the bell ring? Yes, it does ring, though it is as cracked as the devil. I heard it. Has Annie gone deaf? Is she sick? Is she asleep? It is only eight o'clock. I don't believe she is asleep. Doesn't she want to see me? Is that the trouble? What have I done? Is she angry with me?"Eliza spoke, smoothly and sweetly. "Dear Annie is singular," said she.
"What the dickens do you mean by singular?
I have known Annie ever since she was that high.
It never struck me that she was any more singular than other girls, except she stood an awful lot of nagging without making a kick. Here you all say she is singular, as if you meant she was" -- Tom hesitated a second -- "crazy," said he. "Now, Iknow that Annie is saner than any girl around here, and that simply does not go down. What do you all mean by singular?""Dear Annie may not be singular, but her actions are sometimes singular," said Susan. "We all feel badly about this.""You mean her going over to her grandmother's house to live? I don't know whether I think that is anything but horse-sense. I have eyes in my head, and I have used them. Annie has worked like a dog here; I suppose she needed a rest.""We all do our share of the work," said Eliza, calmly, "but we do it in a different way from dear Annie. She makes very hard work of work. She has not as much system as we could wish. She tires herself unnecessarily.""Yes, that is quite true," assented Imogen.
"Dear Annie gets very tired over the slightest tasks, whereas if she went a little more slowly and used more system the work would be accomplished well and with no fatigue. There are five of us to do the work here, and the house is very convenient."There was a silence. Tom Reed was bewildered.
"But -- doesn't she want to see me?" he asked, finally.
"Dear Annie takes very singular notions some-times," said Eliza, softly.
"If she took a notion not to go to the door when she heard the bell ring, she simply wouldn't," said Imogen, whose bluntness of speech was, after all, a relief.
"Then you mean that you think she took a notion not to go to the door?" asked Tom, in a desperate tone.
"Dear Annie is very singular," said Eliza, with such softness and deliberation that it was like a minor chord of music.
"Do you know of anything she has against me?"asked Tom of Imogen; but Eliza answered for her.
"Dear Annie is not in the habit of making confi-dantes of her sisters," said she, "but we do know that she sometimes takes unwarranted dislikes.""Which time generally cures," said Susan.
"Oh yes," assented Eliza, "which time generally cures. She can have no reason whatever for avoid-ing you. You have always treated her well.""I have always meant to," said Tom, so miserably and helplessly that Annie, listening, felt her heart go out to this young man, badgered by females, and she formed a sudden resolution.
"You have not seen very much of her, anyway,"said Imogen.
"I have always asked for her, but I understood she was busy," said Tom, "and that was the reason why I saw her so seldom.""Oh," said Eliza, "busy!" She said it with an indescribable tone.
"If," supplemented Imogen, "there was system, there would be no need of any one of us being too busy to see our friends.""Then she has not been busy? She has not wanted to see me?" said Tom. "I think I understand at last. I have been a fool not to before. You girls have broken it to me as well as you could. Much obliged, I am sure. Good night.""Won't you come in?" asked Imogen.
"We might have some music," said Eliza.
"And there is an orange cake, and I will make coffee," said Susan.
Annie reflected rapidly how she herself had made that orange cake, and what queer coffee Susan would be apt to concoct.
