“What shall we do?”

“You can get ready to go,” said Jennifer. “You know we’ve got to take clothes enough along so we won’t have to buy any until we get back, and we’ve got to have the right kind of clothes, to keep either cool or warm in, according to the weather, so you’ve got to think as you pack and not forget a thing you may need very badly when you are away and haven’t much money to buy things with.”

The girls’ eyes were round with wonder of it all.

“Why, it’ll be kind of fun, won’t it, sister?” said Heather, who had scarcely smiled since she knew of the death of her beloved parents.

“Perhaps,” said Jennifer, with a wistful look in her eyes. “I surely hope it will. Let’s make it fun. That will help us not to feel sad about all that has happened. Now get to work! You’ll want your plainest clothes. Nothing fancy. Do you understand?”

The girls nodded, their eyes shining intelligently.

“Won’t there be any parties?” asked Heather thoughtfully.

“No parties!” said Jennifer. “Now go!”

The children sprang into action, and Jennifer went down to be sure the front door was locked and no relative could walk in on her unawares.

Through the dining room door she glimpsed the table set. The aroma of chicken getting itself to the finished stage was pleasantly obvious. Then Maggie stuck her head out of the pantry door and saw her going toward the stairs.

“Miss Jennifer, is that you? Well, Miss Jennifer, I was just coming up to ask you. Should I defrost the refrigerator? Or should I leave it going to keep things? Will you be coming back that soon? Today is the day I usually defrost it, only I’ve been that busy¾”

Jennifer considered. These were questions that had never come into her life before, but now she must do the best she could with them.

“Is here much in the refrigerator that will spoil?” she asked, trying to look wise.

“Well, there’s a good bit. There’s the big part of a roast. You folks scarcely ate a bite yesterday. And there’ll be some chicken left tonight, perhaps. I cooked a-plenty. There’s eggs, too, and quite a lot of butter. The week’s order just came this morning. If I had known we was all going away for a time I wouldn’t have let him leave it. And there’s three bottles of milk¾”

“Well, I guess you’d better defrost the refrigerator,” Jennifer decided, realizing that she wouldn’t know how to do it herself after Maggie was gone. “You can put anything that will spoil out on the kitchen table and I’ll have the gardener come in and take some things to his cottage. I guess he’ll be glad to have them.”

“You’re right there! He certainly will be glad to get anything, with all his flock of kids. All right, Miss Jennifer. I’ll see to it all. And I’ll leave the keys out on the sideboard for you to attend to. The silver and that like’ll be all right in its regular place, like your father used to fix it when we went to the shore.”

“Thank you, Maggie. But when are you going to do your packing?”

“Oh, I’ll manage that easy,” said the woman. “I went up while the chicken was cooking and got most of my things folded. It won’t take long.