Lawrence departed in the afternoon; and the next day Mrs Keswick set about that general renovation and rearrangement of her establishment which many good housewives consider necessary at certain epochs, such as the departure of guests, the coming in of spring, or the advent of winter.  These arrangements occupied two days, and on the evening that they were finished to her satisfaction, the old lady informed her niece, that early the next morning, she was going to start for Midbranch, and that it was possible, nay, quite probable, that she would stay there over a night.  “I might go and come back the same day,” she said, “but thirty miles a day is too much for Billy, and besides, I am not sure I could get through what I have to do, if I do not stay over.  I would take you with me but this is not to be a mere visit; I have important things to attend to, and you would be in the way.  You got along so well without me when you first came here that I have no doubt you will do very well for one night.  I shall drive myself, and take Plez along with me, and leave Uncle Isham and Letty to take care of you.”

Under ordinary circumstances Annie would have been delighted to go to Midbranch, a place she had never seen, and of which she had heard so much, but she had no present desire to see Roberta March, and said so; further remarking that she was very willing to stay by herself for a night.  She hoped much that her aunt would proceed with the conversation, and tell her why she had determined upon such an extraordinary thing as a visit to Midbranch; where she knew the old lady had not been for many, many years.  But Mrs Keswick had nothing further to say upon this subject, and began to talk of other matters.

After a very early breakfast next morning, Mrs Keswick set out upon her journey, driving the sorrel horse with much steadiness, intermingled with severity whenever he allowed himself to drop out of his usual jogging pace.  Plez sat in the back part of the spring-wagon, and whenever the old lady saw an unusually large stone lying in the track of the road, she would stop, and make him get out and throw it to one side.

“I believe,” she said, on one of these occasions, “that a thousand men in buggies might pass along this road thrice a day for a year, and never think of stopping to throw that rock out of the way of people’s wheels.  They would steer around it every time, or bump over it, but such a thing as moving it would never enter their heads.”

The morning was somewhat cool, but fine, and the smile which occasionally flitted over the corrugated countenance of Mrs Keswick seemed to indicate that she was in a pleasant state of mind, which might have been occasioned by the fine weather and the good condition of the roads, or by cheerful anticipations connected with her visit.