Part 3 (2/2)

”I say, father,” Eustace said suddenly, after a longdiscussed, ”I can stay up to dinner with mother when you are away--can't I? It will be awfully dull for her if I don't”

”And otten that, being the saes

”Rot,” said Eustace; ”you're only a girl”

”And me too,” chimed in Peter

”Oh, you silly baby,” said Eustace iood would you do?”

Peter's delicate face becaary frown

”Mother doesn't want a dull,” Eustace declared ”She wants sorown up”

Nesta gave a little derisive laugh

”Like father!” she repeated; ”that is funny I suppose you think you could be just like him Why don't you ask him to let you smoke one of his pipes at once?”

”Don't be silly, Nesta,” Eustace retorted

”It's you who are silly,” Nesta said, ”thinking only boys can be grown up or of any use”

”When you have quite done snapping each other's heads off,”

interposed their father in his deep, quiet voice, ”perhaps you will allowto bed with the cocks and hens herself”

”To bed with the cocks and hens!” repeated Peter, with an expression of blank surprise in his blue eyes

Now the cocks and hens many of them roosted under the house, which was built on pillars, and set soround It was not an attractive spot at any tie creatures, snakes ast them

”Well, not exactly in the henhouse, Peter,” said his father, with a twinkle in his eyes ”I dare say she will sleep as usual in her own bedroo o to bed--not very long after you”

”Still you will have dinner--won't you, mummie?” Eustace said

”Certainly,” Mrs Orban answered with a smile; ”and I don't think it would be a bad plan for you and Nesta to stay up for it, if you will pro We will have dinner directly after Peter and Becky are in bed; but on't sit up late ourselves, any of us”

Mrs Orban certainly showed no signs of nervousness to-day; the strained expression had left her eyes; she was laughing and talking quite naturally

”I suppose,” thought Eustace, ”she was partly upset by the parcel froland”

”Father,” Nesta exclai up the hill Who can it be at this time of day?”

”Don't know, I'ht be one of a dozen people You had better go and sing out 'friend or foe' over the veranda; but I dare say it isn't a horse at all More probably it is old Hadji with the ht to have come with the parcel yesterday”

But the three elder children had disappeared out on to the veranda and were leaning over, straining their eyes down the road that wound up the hill froh road, with ruts in it so the rains little better than a bog, it was now burnt hard as flint

There was nothing to be seen though abends; but the children listened breathlessly, and at last Eustace said,--