Mallory threw aside the patchwork quilt and began to dress, careful not to waken Mother in the next room. Mother had said she was tired out and had suggested a late breakfast. It was not yet seven and breakfast was at half-past eight.
Mallory slipped into her scarlet dressing-gown and was soon splashing about as if she were a canary in its bathtub. The bath was part of the delicious freshness of the morning. She would have liked to shout and sing but there was the danger of waking others. So she toweled off with the energy that might otherwise have gone into song. Afterwards, it was but a minute to brush hair to a slicking and slip into clothes. There was the red gingham and the scarlet sweater. Mother had put them out last night. Just a second - and then to open the bed as she had been taught, throwing open wide the chamber window to let in fresh morning air!
Oh, how lovely everything was! How different from living in the city! Mallory put her head out of the window and sniffed the scent of pink blossoms, fragrant and delicious. She looked off toward the hill at the back of the house where the rocks were - rocks and meadow with stone walls and a tree or two. From the rocks up there, one could look far off over Long Island Sound and even see Long Island upon a clear day.
The rocks were such a fine place to play for they lay in terraces irregular in outline, rising one above the other and suggesting the mapping out of rooms if one wanted to play house. Aunt Esther and Mother had played house there ever so many years ago. Perhaps even before that, children had played there in the same way.
Mallory watched a bluebird alight upon a bit of stone garden wall and wondered what she should do with the precious time before breakfast. All outdoors was calling, but there was the attic.
''I will do both" said Mallory to herself. "First, I'll take a peek in the attic and see what's there; then I'll go outdoors. I'll look around and see if I can find any other children to play with."
She shut the chamber door carefully and lifted the latch of the attic door that was next to her own door opening on the small back hall landing. It was a big white door and opened directly upon the attic stair on which there was faded red and yellow ingrain carpet of queer old' fashioned pattern, big red and yellow cabbage roses. The stair was steep. Its steps went straight up without stain rail.
But at the top there was a railing, just a short one to fence off the flooring for safety's sake. At the top of the stair was the window she had always called "The Robin's Window" because of the nests that had been there. Softly she climbed the stair and peeked through the opening.
There indeed was a nest! In it were four gaping little robin throats waiting to be filled. The air was full of the hungry squawk of the open beaks waiting to be filled, wide yellow beaks. The little birds were so funny! They had strange quill-like feathers and just a suggestion of down.
Suddenly came Mother Robin with a fat bug to go down the first throat that offered. Mallory had to keep very quiet indeed lest Mother Robin see her and fly away. She held her breath till the four had each been satisfied. Then Mother Robin flew off again and there was quiet in the nest. For a long time Mallory watched the robins, then she turned about to find what else there might be to see.
The attic was filled with many old things, quantities of old furniture, funny old what-nots, cane-seated chairs with straight backs, brass beds, marble-topped stands, an old spinning-wheel half covered with a bit of sheeting. What a lot of strange shaped trunks, boxes, band-boxes and odd things! Whatever could be in them all? They were piled one on the other. It would take lots of time to go through them and how dusty everything was!
Over in a dim corner she spied the outline of a little model schooner under a glass case. It seemed finished, even to its ropes and wheel. But it was old - very old - and covered with attic dust. She managed to pull the case out toward the window to look at it better; the boat couldn't be sailed in the fountain as she had hoped. It was really almost coming to pieces.
She edged the case nearer into the light of the window where the blind was open and caught a glimpse of the rocks and the hillside. She saw a little girl up there. She was just about Mallory's own age. She looked for a moment toward the house then turned and went away, and was soon lost to sight beyond the orchard trees upon the slope of the hill.
Mallory forgot about the treasures that the attic might hold. She forgot about the trunks, the boxes, the model ship in its case, the robin's nest, and even the spot near the window where she had planned to have the play-house. She jumped to her feet and ran down the attic stairs as fast as her two feet could scamper. She was down the backstairs in a twinkling and around through the dining-room to the hall where the side door opened on the garden.
In a flash of scarlet, she was on the tar garden-walk, making for the orchard upon the hill at the back of the house. It lay on its slope of hillside pink with the glory of full-laden bloom. Mallory, regardless of hat, raced up the hill.
"I'll catch her," she panted. I''l catch her. Oh, I think she looked ever so nice. I know she will like to play the things I do. I wonder why she was looking down at the house? I wonder if she was looking for me? Was she expecting me? How funny she should be there anyway!"
But there was no glimpse of the other little girl's brown dress and blue cap as Mallory came to the gate at the top of the hill and stood looking to right and left. On the other side of the gate stretched a long meadow-like plateau broken only by stray flat rocks.
To the right were the terraced rocks, to the left a wide meadow opened out. There were rocks too and a steep ledge known as The Precipice. Below it there was actually a little cave.
 |
| Mallory and Jane become friends. |
I'll go there and see if she's there," decided Mallory, loping over the soft, springy meadow. "I wonder whether she's there or whether she's gone home. Wonder if I ever will know her. Wonder why she came here. Wonder what her name is.?"
But, turning into the larger meadow she gasped, for there was the other little girl.
"Hello!" cried Mallory, coming toward her at full speed. "I saw you from the attic window and I ran right up here to find out about you!"
"Well, I came up here to see you," the other little girl replied, quite as if it were a matter of course. "But I didn't think you'd be up quite so early. I knew you'd be here this morning. You came last night. I've been waiting for you."
"Waiting for me?"
"Um-hum!" she nodded, laughing. "I know all about you."Mallory stared. Then she too began to laugh at the happy surprise of it all.
"Well!" she exclaimed. "What do you know about me and what's your name? You'd better tell me about yourself too. I was just hoping there'd be somebody to play with and I looked out of the window and I saw you."
"You're Mallory Deming," explained the little girl in brown, taking off her blue cap to let the fresh spring breeze blow through her bobbed hair. "I think I am going to like you. I liked you when I heard about your coming. So I kept waiting till you should arrive and I came up here to see if I could catch a glimpse of you. I always get up early and I often play here on the rocks. It's very near our house."
She pointed to a long low white house whose roof could be seen at the edge of the meadows where a road passed.
"That's it - the long white house. It is a very old house," she explained. "We've always lived there. I'm Jane, Jane Taylor. I haven't any brothers or sisters. I live all alone with my mother."
"Oh," said Mallory. It must be then that Jane's father was not living. She felt sorry. "What did you hear about me?" she asked, sitting down upon the rock beside Jane. "Was it nice?"
"If it hadn't been nice, do you suppose I'd be here?" returned Jane, giving Mallory a delicious poke with her forefinger. "Silly! Of course it was nice. My mother knows your mother. She used to play with her when she was little. But that was long ago. Perhaps your mother has forgotten all about her. It's long since Mother saw your mother but she hasn't forgotten. They played house right here where you and I are!"
"Did they?"
"And she says they used to have lots of fun too."
"Think of it!"
"And Mother knew all about you when you were a baby - same time I was. You hear about people in a little town," explained Jane, wisely. "Mother heard. When I was little we'd walk over here just for fun afternoons to sit on the rocks maybe. Mother would tell me stories about how she had played here with another little girl who had grown up and gone away to the city to live. She said she had a little girl of her own now and she hoped some day, maybe - she hoped you and your mother might come back to live at the old place. And you did," she ended, triumphantly. "So you see I've really known you a very long time."
"Just think of it," smiled Mallory. "Seems as if we were just born to play together!"
Jane laughed and nodded.
"What do you like best to play?" she inquired anxiously.
"I like to play‚but I won't tell you till you tell me first."
Yet Mallory hesitated. Just supposing she were to hit the wrong sort of play with this splendid new friend who had known her always. "I'm scared to say," she hesitated. "Maybe you wouldn't like it, and then"
"Oh, but I might like it, too."
"Well," said Mallory, "I'll tell you. It's something lots of girls don't care about."
"Is it?"
"Well," repeated Mallory, "I'll tell you. It's‚ I just adore dolls!"
Jane bounded to her feet. "Really?" she exclaimed delightedly. "That's just what I adore most myself. I love to make believe with them and dress them. I love to play house!"
"Oh, oh!" exclaimed Mallory. "All the time when we we were packing to come up here - down in that stuffy city I was hoping there'd be somebody here who'd like to play dolls with me. And do you know what?"
"What?"
"Well-"
"Well?"
"It was just before I saw you that I was up in the attic. I went up there to see a corner where I wanted to make a playhouse for my dolls when they come. So I woke up early and I went up there and poked about to see what was what - and then‚," She laughed. "I saw you," she said. "So I forgot all about the playhouse and I dashed right up through the orchard to look and see if I could play with you."
"How funny," echoed Jane. "Both of us not really knowing each other but looking for each other. We just ought to be best friends."
"I think so too!"
"Tell me about your dolls."
"Well, I gave away the rag ones that I had when I was very little. Mother and I sent them to the hospital. When we packed up, we did not see much use in keeping them. But my baby doll that says 'Mama' - I brought with me. Her name is Tootsie. And I brought Jack, my boy doll, and Marigold."
"Marigold?"
"Yes, Marigold is an English doll. She's very pretty and not very big; just fun to dress. She has golden hair. Mother says she looks like a little English girl - exactly!"
"She must be pretty. I suppose you'll laugh when I tell you about my doll."
"Why?"
"I only have one," said Jane. "But she really seems so alive. Sometimes I do feel she really is alive! Her name is Edith, Baby Edith. She was Mother's doll. But she's the nicest ever and she can talk too. You pull a cord with a blue bead and she says Papa and one with a white bead says 'Mama. I have a whole doll set of table, bed, chairs and they are all hers. I sew dresses for her. She is my only big doll and I love her. You will too. I'll put her in her carriage and wheel her over next time I come here." She put on the blue cap. "It must be breakfast time," she said. "I must go back now, and I'm so glad I know you. I shall tell Mother all about you!"
"Oh don't go yet."
"I'll come back."
"When?"
"The first chance I get."
"How'll I know you are here?"
"I could come down to the house."
"Of course!"
"But, if it were some time very early in the morning, I'd wait up here."
"And I'd look out of the window and see you, and then I'd dash up too!"
They both agreed.
"You bring your doll and I'll see if I can bring mine, after breakfast, maybe. And we'll play house up here or go up into the attic. You must see the attic! We can dress up in the funny dresses that are in the trunks and play house in the corner by the window that looks off over the lawn.
"I'd love to."
"Which would be most fun - the outdoor house or the attic?"
"I don't know. Which do you think?"
Mallory hesitated. "Well," she said, "I'd say the attic! I never have played in an attic! I know I'd just love it! One can play outdoors every single day."
"Yes, I think the attic is most fun, too. We can dress up."
"And you'll come over after breakfast?"
"As soon as I can. I help Mother with the dishes and I help clean up too. There might be some errands to do."
"Well, come as soon as ever you can," agreed Mallory. "Oh, dear. Mother is calling me. It must be my breakfast time too."
The two parted. Jane went over the stone fence into the green meadow beyond. She turned to wave a hand and called, "I'll be over soon."
Mallory waved her answer. Then she sped down the hill of the orchard and rushed into the dining room where Mother was sitting at one end of the table and Father was hidden behind the folds of his morning paper.
"Mother, Mother!" she cried, giving her mother a great bear hug. "You know the most exciting thing has happened. I've met Jane Taylor; and she says you used to play with her mother up on the rocks when you were a little girl!"
"Why, so I did!" exclaimed Mother. "I haven't forgotten in the least. I have seen little Jane Taylor's mother only once since you and Jane were just little babies, I think. Somehow, we never met much after we grew up. But we will have to begin again, thanks to you and Jane and our having moved here to stay," she laughed. "I shall enjoy it as much as you, Mallory," she said. "Oh, don't be so boisterous, dear; go and kiss Father. You're leaving him out."
Whereupon, Mallory gave him the regular bear-hug squeeze that was her morning kiss.
"You know, Father," she said, "this is the nicest house that ever was. With you and Mother, and the attic, and - and everything, I'm just going to be too happy for words!"
"Well, eat your breakfast quickly," he urged. "It's getting cold. It's a good breakfast too!"
"I have to eat very fast," declared Mallory. "Jane is coming over."
She began to buttering her toast. "I want to look up my box of toys before she comes" she explained. "I wonder where it was put, Mother?"
"It must be with the other boxes out in the barn." said Mother. "You'll find it. George will open it for you, if you ask him."
"Well, we're going to play in the attic, Mother," she went on. "We're going to have a playhouse there, and dress up in the things that are in those funny old trunks."
"I don't think you'd better rummage, Mallory," her mother suggested. "There are some very valuable old things in those trunks."
"Oh, we won't hurt anything," Mallory declared. "We'll be careful."
"Put everything carefully back just as you find it, dear."
"Oh, of course, Mother!"
Mallory fell silent, planning. First of all there was the toy box to find. By the time it was opened no doubt Jane would come soon.
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