Seven Stories Up Read Online Free PDF Page B

the tray on the coffee table, brushed her hands against her apron, and looked at Molly.
    “Miss?” she said. “I’m afraid I don’t understand—”
    “My hair?” Molly said, reaching up to touch her burst of curls. “It’s … new.”
    “No, miss,” said the maid. “Not your hair.” She jerked her head in my direction. “Your company!”
    “Oh,” said Molly. “
Oh!
This is Annie. She’s visiting. Isn’t that nice?”
    Nora took a deep breath. “Miss, you know you aren’t to have visitors. Doctor’s orders. Your father said—”
    “Please?” Molly pleaded. “Just this once?”
    So far Molly’s plan wasn’t much of a plan, and it wasn’t working.
    Nora shook her head. “She’ll have to leave, miss. I
am
sorry.”
    “But I’m always by myself,” said Molly, slumping. “Always.”
    For a second I thought Nora might change her mind. Then she shook her head again. “I’ll see her out, miss.And I’ll speak with your father about guests. You’ve been much stronger lately. Perhaps, if the doctor agrees, she might come for an hour, in the afternoon—”
    Suddenly Molly’s posture changed. She straightened up and put both fists on her hips. When she spoke, her voice was rigid, scolding. “In that case, Nora, maybe you shouldn’t have been so careless as to leave the door unlocked last night!”
    I stared at Molly. She didn’t sound like herself. Was
this
her plan?
    Nora was staring too. “But I never did—” she said defensively. “Why, I just now—” She held out her ring of keys.
    Molly continued. “Luckily, Annie has turned out to be nice. But she could have been anyone, a thief! We don’t want
Papa
to hear about this, do we?”
    Nora stepped back a pace and folded her hands in front of her apron. She leaned against the door. “Why, miss—” she said.
    “Poor Annie’s an orphan,” lied Molly. “An orphan with nowhere to go. Last night she snuck into the hotel and found my door open. She came in to escape the rain.”
    “But”—Nora looked at the key in her hand—“but, miss, I’m
sure
it wasn’t open. Why, I just unlocked it this minute. Didn’t you hear the key?”
    It was true. I’d heard it turn in the lock myself. But Molly didn’t seem bothered by this pesky fact.
    “Then how did Annie get in here, do you think?” she asked the maid. “If
you
didn’t leave the door unlocked.”
    “I’m sure I don’t know,” said Nora, shaking her head.
    “You’re the only person with a key. You
must
have left it open.”
    “I never did!”
    Molly drew herself up until she was standing on tiptoe. The glare she shot the maid was almost cruel. “It doesn’t much matter, does it?” she said. “What do you think Papa will do, Nora? What will happen to you if I tell him this story? It would really be a shame to lose you.” Molly’s eyes got squinty as she finished her speech, and it made me nervous. It was like I could see my witchy old grandmother peeking out.
    Nora pursed her lips, gave a slight bob of the head, and said as she turned to leave, “All right, miss. Just as you say. I’ll fetch your dishes when I bring lunch, like usual.” Nora slipped away through the door and pulled it behind her. The key turned in the lock.

The minute the door closed, Molly flashed me a guilty smile and shrugged. “Thank goodness
that’s
over.” She sat down on the rug in front of her breakfast tray and started to deal out the cards. “Do you know how to play rummy?”
    “I—yeah, of course,” I said, dropping to my knees beside her.
    “Oh, good!”
    I watched Molly reach for the silver dome on her plate, lift it up, and sniff. She handed me a piece of toast.“No muffins after all. But mmmm … scrapple! And marmalade, my favorite!”
    “Ooh, mine too,” I said, reaching for the jam jar. Just the sight of the oranges painted on the label made my mouth water.
    Molly smiled. “Isn’t it funny? Marmalade, asthma,
The Secret Garden
! We
do
have a lot in common.”