“I’m very sorry to hear of this, Miss March,” he said, in the kind, quiet tone which sounded very pleasantly to her perturbed spirit.  “I came to offer myself as escort to your mother.  Mr. Laurence has commissions for me in Washington, and it will give me real satisfaction to be of service to her there.”

Down dropped the rubbers, and the tea was very near following, as Meg put out her hand, with a face so full of gratitude that Mr. Brooke would have felt repaid for a much greater sacrifice than the trifling one of time and comfort which he was about to take.

“How kind you all are!  Mother will accept, I’m sure, and it will be such a relief to know that she has someone to take care of her.  Thank you very, very much!”

Meg spoke earnestly, and forgot herself entirely till something in the brown eyes looking down at her made her remember the cooling tea, and lead the way into the parlor, saying she would call her mother.

Everything was arranged by the time Laurie returned with a note from Aunt March, enclosing the desired sum, and a few lines repeating what she had often said before, that she had always told them it was absurd for March to go into the army, always predicted that no good would come of it, and she hoped they would take her advice the next time.  Mrs. March put the note in the fire, the money in her purse, and went on with her preparations, with her lips folded tightly in a way which Jo would have understood if she had been there.

The short afternoon wore away.  All other errands were done, and Meg and her mother busy at some necessary needlework, while Beth and Amy got tea, and Hannah finished her ironing with what she called a ‘slap and a bang’, but still Jo did not come.  They began to get anxious, and Laurie went off to find her, for no one knew what freak Jo might take into her head.  He missed her, however, and she came walking in with a very queer expression of countenance, for there was a mixture of fun and fear, satisfaction and regret in it, which puzzled the family as much as did the roll of bills she laid before her mother, saying with a little choke in her voice, “That’s my contribution toward making Father comfortable and bringing him home!”

“My dear, where did you get it?  Twenty-five dollars!  Jo, I hope you haven’t done anything rash?”

“No, it’s mine honestly.  I didn’t beg, borrow, or steal it.  I earned it, and I don’t think you’ll blame me, for I only sold what was my own.”

As she spoke, Jo took off her bonnet, and a general outcry arose, for all her abundant hair was cut short.

“Your hair!  Your beautiful hair!” “Oh, Jo, how could you?  Your one beauty.”  “My dear girl, there was no need of this.”  “She doesn’t look like my Jo any more, but I love her dearly for it!”