Part 3 (1/2)
”Well, enial voice, bea upon them all with the kindest blue eyes Mollie had ever seen, ”and what has everybody been doing? And where is Grizzel?”
As he spoke he lifted Baby into his arers, laid a hand on Mollie's head, and looked round inquiringly for his h replied, ”it's finished Come and see it
You can't climb into it yet, but it looks very nice froe a box to pull you and Mamma up in The zinc-lined box the piano came in would do”
”Thank you, my son,” said Papa kindly, ”thank you, thank you At the moment I am rather pressed for time I have to meet Ma to the town-hall to hear this wonderful new telephone, as they call it They say that so will be perfectly audible in the town-hall here, a distance of six and a half miles
It sounds almost incredible What will they discover next! Truly this is an a yet”
Hugh had left his gingerbread, which lay forgotten on his plate, and stood before his father flushed with excitement:
”Take me with you, _do_, Papa,” he cried ”I'll learn reaet your hat and be quick then,” Papa interrupted indulgently ”Prue,and you will find five parcels, one for each young robber Be fair and ael” He kissed Baby, handed her over to Prudence, put on his hat again, and was off down the wide path between the cypress trees with Hugh hanging on his arate,” said Prudence ”Bridget will take Baby
Hurry up, Mollie”
They reached the foot of the garden just in time to see Papa's tall hat disappear round the corner of the road It was a lovely evening, and the girls lingered by the gate; the scent of violets and freesias rose froain carant and delicate
”What's that?” asked Mollie, with an unladylike sniff; ”that lovely smell?”
”It's wattle,” Prudence answered ”It's in the fields over there
You can smell it for o and look at Papa's parcels He went to see Mrs
Macfarline at her toyshop to-day, and when he goes there he always brings so home It's a beautiful shop Once I stayed with Lucy Macfarline from Saturday till Monday, and her mamma allowed us to play in the shop on Sunday; it was so funny, all dark and dihosts We played with the toys on the shelves and had a lovely tiotten Grizzel! She is up in the tree all this tih hasn't hidden the ladder--I wish he wouldn't tease so”
”All brothers do,” Mollie said philosophically ”dick is siet him over here, Prudence
Do you think we could?”
”I'll think But first we must find that ladder”
As they neared the tree Prudence called to her sister that they were coot no answer They jumped the loall and stood underneath the tree, nearly dislocating their necks in their efforts to see son of life in the little house But Grizzel neither answered nor showed herself, in spite of Prue's eloquent description of Papa's parcels and denunciations of their brother
”Perhaps she is having her evening hate,” suggested Mollie
”She does take awful fits of the sulks sometimes,” Prudence allowed, ”but I don't think she would be sulky with _me_ just now; it wasn't h! We had better go and look for it as fast as we can I wonder where he has hidden it?”
”It can't be far away, because he was only gone for a few minutes at tea-ti on the ground behind the wall”
That was precisely where it was, and without ain, and Prudence h the little door, but in one htened face
”She's not here, Mollie She's gone”
”Gone!” Mollie exclaiet doithout the ladder? She must be up in the tree”