'Let me come, too, I won't make any fuss; it 's so dreadful to be shut out everywhere, and have people crying and talking, and locked up, and I not know what it means,' said Maud, beseechingly.
'You do know, now; I 've told her, Polly,' said Fan, as they sat down together, and Maud perched herself on the bed, so that she might retire among the pillows if her feelings were too much for her.
'I 'm glad you take it so well, dear; I was afraid it might upset you,' said Polly, seeing now that in spite of her quiet manner, Fan's eyes had an excited look, and her cheeks a feverish color.
'I shall groan and moan by and by, I dare say, but at first it sort of dazed me, and now it begins to excite me. I ought to be full of sorrow for poor papa, and I am truly sorry, but, wicked as it may seem, it 's a fact, Polly, that I 'm half glad it 's happened, for it takes me out of myself, and gives me something to do.'
Fanny's eyes fell and her color rose as she spoke, but Polly understood why she wanted to forget herself, and put her arm round her with a more tender sympathy than Fanny guessed.
'Perhaps things are not as bad as they seem; I don't know much about such matters, but I 've seen people who have failed, and they seemed just as comfortable as before,'
said Polly.
'It won't be so with us, for papa means to give up everything, and not have a word said against him. Mamma's little property is settled upon her, and has n't been risked. That touched her so much! She dreads poverty even more than I do, but she begged him to take it if it would help him. That pleased him, but he said nothing would induce him to do it, for it would n't help much, and was hardly enough to keep her comfortable.'
'Do you know what he means to do?' asked Polly, anxiously.
'He said his plans were not made, but he meant to go into the little house that belonged to grandma, as soon as he could, for it was n't honest for a bankrupt to keep up an establishment like this.'
'I shan't mind that at all, I like the little house 'cause it 's got a garden, and there 's a cunning room with a three-cornered closet in it that I always wanted. If that 's all, I don't think bankrupting is so very bad,' said Maud, taking a cheerful view of things.
'Ah, just wait till the carriage goes and the nice clothes and the servants, and we have to scratch along as we can. You 'll change your mind then, poor child,' said Fanny, whose ideas of failure were decidedly tragical.
'Will they take all my things away?' cried Maud, in dismay.
'I dare say; I don't know what we are allowed to keep; but not much, I fancy,' and Fan looked as if strung up to sacrifice everything she possessed.
'They shan't have my new ear-rings, I 'll hide 'em, and my best dress, and my gold smelling bottle. Oh, oh, oh! I think it 's mean to take a little girl's things away!' And Maud dived among the pillows to smother a wail of anguish at the prospect of being bereft of her treasures.
Polly soon lured her out again, by assurances that she would n't be utterly despoiled, and promises to try and soften the hard hearts of her father's creditors, if the ear-rings and the smelling-bottle were attached.
'I wonder if we shall be able to keep one servant, just till we learn how to do the work,'
said Fanny, looking at her white hands, with a sigh.
But Maud clapped hers, and gave a joyful bounce, as she cried, 'Now I can learn to cook! I love so to beat eggs! I 'll have an apron, with a bib to it, like Polly's, and a feather duster, and sweep the stairs, maybe, with my head tied up, like Katy. Oh, what fun!'
'Don't laugh at her, or discourage her; let her find comfort in bibs and dust-pans, if she can,' whispered Polly to Fan, while Maud took a joyful 'header' among the pillows, and came up smiling and blowzy, for she loved house- work, and often got lectured for stolen visits to the kitchen, and surreptitious sweepings and dustings when the coast was clear.
'Mamma is so feeble, I shall have to keep house, I suppose, and you must show me how, Polly,' said Fan.
'Good practice, ma'am, as you 'll find out some day,' answered Polly, laughing significantly.
Fanny smiled, then grew both grave and sad. 'This changes everything; the old set will drop me, as we did the Mertons when their father failed, and my 'prospects,' as we say, are quite ruined.'
'I don't believe it; your real friends won't drop you, and you 'll find out which the true ones are now. I know one friend who will be kinder than ever.'
'Oh, Polly, do you think so?' and Fanny's eyes softened with sudden tears.
'I know who she means,' cried Maud, always eager to find out things. 'It 's herself; Polly won't mind if we are poor, 'cause she likes beggars.'
'Is that who you meant?' asked Fan, wistfully.
'No, it 's a much better and dearer friend than I am,' said Polly, pinching Fanny's cheek, as it reddened prettily under her eyes. 'You 'll never guess, Maud, so I would n't try, but be planning what you will put in your cunning, three-cornered closet, when you get it.'
Having got rid of 'Miss Paulina Pry,' as Tom called Maud, who was immediately absorbed by her cupboard, the older girls soberly discussed the sudden change which had come, and Polly was surprised to see what unexpected strength and sense Fanny showed. Polly was too unconscious of the change which love had made in herself to understand at first the cause of her friend's new patience and fortitude; but she rejoiced over it, and felt that her prophecy would yet be fulfilled. Presently Maud emerged from her new closet, bringing a somewhat startling idea with her.
'Do bankrupting men' (Maud liked that new word) 'always have fits?'
'Mercy, no! What put that into your head, child?' cried Polly.
'Why, Mr. Merton did; and I was thinking perhaps papa had got one down there, and it kind of frightened me.'
'Mr. Merton's was a bad, disgraceful failure, and I don't wonder he had a fit. Ours is n't, and papa won't do anything of that sort, you may be sure,' said Fanny, with as proud an air as if 'our failure' was rather an honor than otherwise.
