Part 4 (1/2)
”But red erous”
”Mamma is e break rules,” Prudence replied, ”and it will reracious!” Mollie ejaculated, as she cli a red lantern out of the nursery hen we see Mother coh if we did!”
”It won't burn long,” Prue said, as she shut the lantern door, ”but it will do Noe'll go down the lane; I am almost sure Grizzel will coarden and slipped into the lane through a narrow back gate It seemed to Mollie that the darkness fell like a curtain, so quickly did it coh up above the trees they could see the red lantern shi+ning in the dusk like a glowing ruby; the air was growing chilly, and all the warrey, when suddenly out of the shadowy dimness there leapt a dark form--a form with a bushy tail and a friendly bark
”Laddie!” exclai along and swinging her basket
”Am I late?” she asked breathlessly ”I didn't ; I stopped to look at the shop s”
”Oh, Grizzel, where _have_ you been?” Prue said, catching her sister by the arhtened Come on quickly now, or on't be ready, and _then_ there will be a hullabuloo and goodness knohat tomorrow”
They hurried back to the house, and were et scolded, and Baby laughed, and they were all so busy ”getting ready” that it was not till three white reen damask Victorian chairs that Prudence found tiet down froot down,” Grizzel answered, lookingdown”
”Nonsense,” Prudence said rather crossly; ”there can't be a secret way down”
”Well, find out for yourself,” Grizzel retorted, her face taking on an obstinate expression
”But how _did_ you?” Mollie asked, with an ingratiating smile
Grizzel shook her rebellious little red curls ”It's my secret,” she repeated; ”I won't tell”
”When did you find out that the ladder was gone?” Prue asked, in a more amiable voice
”I just knew It's part of the secret”
”You'll have to tell Hugh,” Prudence said firmly; ”you can't have secret ways into other people's houses”
”I won't tell anyone It's my mysterious secret and I shall keep it”
Prudence frowned and opened her ned to her to be silent Mollie was not a Patrol Leader for nothing; she had learned to be diplomatic, and now she turned the conversation:
”Where are those parcels?” she asked
”The parcels! Goodness !” Prudence exclai into the hall, followed by Mollie; Grizzel sat on in sulky dignity, trying to look uninterested
”Suppose Papa had cos would have been dreadfully hurt,” Prudence said with co He always says ht of the brown-paper packages, and the parcels were quickly undone and the wrappings and string tidied away--”the evidences of our folly”, Prue said, as she bundled the that everybody forgot their little difference of opinion
There was a fine large kaleidoscope, the first she had ever seen, for Mollie; a char list of tunes printed inside the lid and a little gilt key to wind it up with, for Prudence; a Winsor and Newton paint-box for Grizzel; _Five Weeks in a Balloon_, by Jules Verne, for Hugh; and a Punchinello doll on a stick for Baby
”I must say,” Mollie remarked appreciatively, ”your father _is_ a peach I have often wanted to see a proper kaleidoscope, but they seeone out of fashi+on”
The others were too busy ads to observe Mollie's remarks Grizzel was speechless with joy as she found all the paints she had been longing for--the crimson lake, Prussian blue, Vandyke brown, and the rest; Prue had wound up her box, and as Mollie turned her kaleidoscope towards the light, and delighted herself with the wonderful colours and designs it produced, she heard the delicate, sweet tinkle of a faintly familiar tune--an old- fashi+oned sort of tune
While they were thus pleasantly occupied Professor and Mrs Cah returned, and Mollie was introduced to ”Ma She was a fair, pretty woh's and a beautifully modulated voice She kissed Mollie and looked at her with rather a sad expression in her eyes: