“Kathie—Kathie! Yoo-hoo!”
The clear call rang through the house and there came the sound of the hurried opening of a door followed by quick footsteps and then a smooth brown head, gleaming in the sunlight which poured through the landing-window at the head of the stairs, appeared over the banisters.
“Auntie! You’ve got back awfully quickly! Didn’t you meet anyone to have a good old gossip?” A trill of laughter escaped the speaker at this point before she went on, “I’ll be down in a minute, I’m just finishing the last of my darning. The coffee’s all ready on the simmering-plate.”
“You’ll be down quicker than that, my lady!” Mrs. Grayson spoke with a comic decision. “There’s a letter for you on the hall-table. Mrs. Kenny must have taken it in as she was leaving. Come down and collect.”
“Oh, won’t it wait till I’ve finished that awful ladder?” Kathie asked.
“Not if I know you! The postmark is—Switzerland!”