'And that's what happened on Easter Sunday,' said Roland.
There was silence. The children's soft, earnest voices and the sweet Bible story touched the hearts of those who heard it.
'And how long will it be before Easter?' asked Olive, after a pause.
'Oh, a long, long time. Why, we haven't come to Christmas! We don't want Easter to come yet.'
'Mr. Bob says Easter is the happiest time in all the year; he likes it better than Christmas.'
'Yes, and so will we, when we see the dead flowers come up, and all the dead people too!'
'Oh, don't get them on the subject of "dead people" and graves,' murmured Miss Hester sleepily; 'they can talk of nothing else at present.'
'Tell us about your life in India, Roland,' said Miss Hunter, quite willing to change the subject; and the boy instantly obeyed, whilst his little sister, with knitted brows, was trying to puzzle out in her small mind why Aunt Hester did not like graves.
But when they left the drawing-room an hour afterwards, she said to her brother, 'All our aunties like the winter. It is only Mr. Bob who says Easter is best.'
'They haven't got any graves like Mr. Bob,' responded Roland thoughtfully, 'nor lilies buried in flower-pots. If they had, they would like Easter quite as much as he does.'