Part 1 (2/2)
”But when do we see what we've written?” asked Alex impatiently.
”Not till the end of the game, then we read them out. That's where the fun comes in,” said Emily.
It was a long while before the papers were done, and most of the children found it very difficult to decide what _he_ said to _her_, what she replied, and what the world said. But at last even Barbara, always lag-last, folded her slip, very grimy and thumb-marked, and put it with the others into Emily's ap.r.o.n.
”Now then,” giggled the nursery-maid, ”pull one out, Master Archie, and I'll see what it says.”
Archie s.n.a.t.c.hed at a paper, and they opened it.
”Listen!” said Emily.
”The Queen met Master Archie--whoever of you put the Queen?”
”Cedric!” cried the other children.
Cedric's loyalty to his Sovereign was a by-word in the nursery.
”Well, the Queen met Master Archie in the Park. She said to him, 'No,'
and he answered her, 'You dirty little boy, go 'ome and wash your face.'
Well, if that didn't ought to be the other way round!”
”I wish it was me she'd met in the Park,” said Cedric sombrely. ”I might have gone back to Buckingham Palace with her and--”
”Go on, Emily, go on!” cried Alex impatiently. ”Don't listen to Cedric.
What comes next?”
”The consequences was--whatever's here?” said Emily, pretending an inability to decipher her own writing.
”Well, I never! The consequences was, a wedding-ring. Whoever went and thought of that now? And the world said--”
The nursery door opened, and Alex shrieked, ”Oh, finish it--quick!”
She knew instinctively that it was Nurse, and that Nurse would be certain to disapprove of the new game.
”Don't you make that noise, Alex,” said Nurse sharply. ”You'll disturb the baby with your screaming.”
For a moment Alex wondered if the game was to be allowed to proceed, but Barbara, well known to be Nurse's favourite, must needs say to her in an amiable little voice, such as she never used to her brothers and sister:
”Emily's been teaching us such a funny new game, Nurse. Come and play with us.”
”I've no time to play, as you very well know, with all your clothes wanting looking over the way they do,” Nurse told her complacently.
”What's the game?”
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