"You promised you would, Nixie."
"... if you would come and play Rabbits with us?" came the words in a desperate rush, with laughter not far behind.
The big man with the fierce white moustaches glared over the top of his glasses at the intruders as if amazed beyond belief at the audacity of the request.
"Rabbits!" he exclaimed, as though the mere word ought to have caused an instant explosion. "Rabbits!"
"Oh, please do."
"Rabbits at this time of night!" he repeated. "I never heard of such a thing. Why, all good rabbits are asleep in their holes by now. And you ought to be in yours too by rights, I'm sure."
"We don't sleep in holes, father," said the owner of the brown hair, who was acting as leader.
"And there's still a nour before bedtime, really," added a voice in the rear.
The big man slowly put his glasses down and looked at his watch. He looked very savage, but of course it was all pretence, and the children knew it. "If he was really cross he'd pretend to be nice," they whispered to each other, with merciless perception.
"Well—" he began. But he who hesitates, with children, is lost. The door flung open wide, and the troop poured into the room in a medley of long black legs, flying hair and outstretched hands. They surrounded the table, swarmed upon his big knees, shut his stupid old book, tried on his glasses, kissed him, and fell to discussing the game breathlessly all at once, as though it had already begun.