"Yes, dear. I expect she will be back to us in the autumn, and I'm sure she will be benefited by her vacation," said Mrs. Brandon. "Anna does not really have to work now. The salary and light expenses of maids soon place them in a position to retire, you know," she pointed out practically. "And besides," chimed in Nancy, "it's lots of fun to live all alone for the summer, at least. Why, if Anna were here she would be forever poking in and out of the store, and really mother," Nancy's voice fell to a very serious tone, "when I get things going, I intend to make _you_ take a vacation. I'm going to make that store _pay_." "That's lovely, girlie," replied the mother, "and I'm sure you and Ted are going to be wonderful little helpers. Now, come eat dinner. You must be ravenous. Here, Nancy, carry along the beans with the butter. Make each hand do its share to help out each foot, you know," she teased. "But I'm starved," declared Ted, making a rather risky dive for the three dinner plates and hurrying into the little dining room with them. "That ice cream was good while we were eating it, but it doesn't last long, does it, Nan?" This brought up the story of Mr. Sanders' treat, and as her children related it, each outdoing the other in vivid description and volumes of parentheses, Mrs. Brandon listened with but few interruptions. When the story was told, however, she gave her version of the gossip concerning the stranger. "He is really a professor, I'm sure," she stated, "for Miss Townsend told me that much. Of course professors can be as queer as other folks--" "Queer?" interrupted Ted, holding his plate out for another new potato. "Yes, they are often odd," admitted his mother, smiling at the boy's joke. "But then, too, we expect to depend upon their intelligence for reasonable explanations." "Mother, anyone would know you were a librarian, the way you talk," said Nancy. "I suppose we act booky too, only we can't realize it ourselves. Ted, your knife is playing toboggan--" "I'm too starved to notice," said Ted. "Hope you won't lose the potatoes and burn the meat again, Sis," he added, "I can't stand starvation." "I didn't do it, _we_ did it," insisted Nancy. "I'm sure we were both getting dinner--" "But about Miss Townsend, dear," her mother forestalled their argument. "Did she say she regretted agreeing to sell?" "No, mother; that's the queer part of it all," Nancy replied. They were now settled at their meal and could chat happily. "She acted so mysterious about everything. And you should see her little dog, Tiny, sniff around! Honestly, I thought he'd sniff his little stumpy nose off at the fireplace. By the way, mother, can't we have the old stove moved out into the back storeroom? We don't want it standing around all summer waiting for a blizzard next Christmas, do we?"