ng-bee would mean to her in dollars and cents, it had
meant so much more in other things.

It was a noisy, talkative file of girls who having escorted Lucy to her
home, and left the back doorstep covered with berry pails, turned their
faces toward Dolittle Cottage. The day spent in the open air had made
them hungry. Peggy was invited to divulge her intentions concerning
supper and her proposed _menu_ aroused enthusiasm.

"I wonder if Aunt Abigail has missed us?" remarked Ruth, who hated above
all things to be left alone for five minutes, so that her thoughts had
invested Aunt Abigail's solitude with a pathos which the independent old
lady would have instantly resented.

Amy took it on herself to answer. "No, indeed. That's the best thing
about Aunt Abigail. She likes people and she's always happy in a crowd,
but she's never lonely when she's by herself. If there's something
around to read she wouldn't mind if she didn't have anybody to speak to
for a week."

Dolittle Cottage was in sight by now. The girls' eyes scanned the porch
for a lounging figure absorbed in a book or magazine. "She isn't
outside, is she?" remarked Peggy. "I hope she isn't trying to get
supper."

"I hope so, too," agreed Amy fervently. "I've tried Aunt Abigail's
cooking once or twice." Whether it was due to the hope of arresting Aunt
Abigail's supper preparations, before they had gone too far, or because
of some other undefined anxiety, the line advanced on the double-quick.

As they drew nearer the cottage, something peculiar in its appearance
gradually became evident. It had a forsaken look, such as it had
presented on the day of their arrival. Peggy was the first to discover
the explanation of the mysterious change.

"Why, she's got all the shutters closed!"

Peggy was not mistaken. As a rule, every door and window in the cottage
stood wide open, except during heavy storms. Now its tightly shuttered
windows and closed doors gave it the look of being unoccupied.

Surprise, and perhaps a vague, unformulated anxiety, had quickened the
lagging feet of the girls, so that when they came up the gravel walk
leading to the door of the cottage, they were almost running. Peggy who
was a little in the lead, was the first to reach the door. She turned
the knob quickly, pushed till she was red in the face, gave the door a
sharp shake and then stood staring blankly. "It's locked!" she
exclaimed.

"I'll try the back door." Amy started for the rear of