Polly was on the back porch, a very disturbed and somewhat indignant Towser in her arms, evidently a party to the undertaking, and to her Mrs. Deane breathlessly appealed.
"Polly! What are they doing?" she gasped.
"You'll have to ask the boys, Mama." Polly's eyes were dancing. "Nid, here's Mama, and she wants to know what you're doing!"
Nid hurried up, a dripping brush in one hand and a smear of white paint across one cheek, followed by Laurie. The others paused at their various tasks to watch smilingly.
"Painting the house! My house? Why--why--what--who--"
"Yes'm. There's the blue paint. It's as near like the old as we could find. You don't think it's too dark, do you?"
"But I don't understand, Nid Turner!" said Mrs. Deane helplessly. "Who told you to? Who's going to pay for it?"
"It's all paid for, ma'am. It--it's a sort of Christmas present from us--from the school. You--you don't mind, do you?"
"Well, I never did!" Mrs. Deane looked from Ned to Laurie, her mouth quivering. "I--I don't know what to say. I guess I'll--I'll go see if any one's--in the shop, Polly. Did you think you--heard the bell?" Mrs. Deane's eyes were frankly wet as she turned hurriedly away and disappeared inside. Ned viewed Polly anxiously.
"Do you think she--doesn't like it?" he half whispered.
Polly shook her head and laughed softly, although her own eyes were not quite dry. "Of course she likes it, you stupid boy! She just didn't know what to say. She'll be back pretty soon, after she's had a little cry."
"Oh!" said Ned and Laurie in chorus, their faces brightening; and Laurie added apologetically: "Gee, we didn't want to make her cry, Polly!"
"That sort of a cry doesn't hurt," said Polly.
Afterward Mrs. Deane said a great deal, and said it very sweetly, and the boys got more or less embarrassed, and were heartily glad when she drew Ned to her and kissed him, much to that youth's distress, and the incident ended in laughter. By noon the shutters were done, and nine industrious amateur painters were swarming over the back of the little house. I'm not going to tell you that the job was done as perfectly as Sprague and Currie, Painters and Paper-hangers, would have done it, but you're to believe that it was done much quicker and at a far greater saving of money! And when it was finished no one except a professional would ever have known the difference. Perhaps there was more blue and white paint scattered around the landscape than was absolutely necessary, and it always remained a mystery how Antoinette managed to get her right ear looking like a bit of Italian sky, for every one professed ignorance and Antoinette was apparently well protected from spatters. (It took Polly more than a week to restore the rabbit to her original appearance.)