That same afternoon Freda and Daffy came to tea, and were delighted to see their little friend off her couch, even though she had to use crutches. Her nimbleness with these made her uncle rather nervous.
"Not so fast, little woman. If you had another tumble and another break it might be bed again for six months."
"Oh, I have Er now," said Dreamikins cheerfully; "he'll look after me."
And then, seeing her little friends' surprise, she introduced her new guardian to them promptly, and for a quarter of an hour had a good deal to say about him. After that, they began discussing the new governess, who was to appear in a very few days' time.
"Do you know what she is like, Fibo?" asked Daffy anxiously. "Will she be another kind of nurse? We had a governess in London, she was young, but she didn't like lessons, and used to read story-books to herself while we were doing our sums."
"And where are we going to do our lessons?" asked Freda. "Daffy and me hope perhaps in the garden."
"Oh no," Dreamikins told them; "Mummy got one of Fibo's rooms ready for us. It's upstairs, and the table is so big it takes up all the room. And Mummy says our governess is called Miss Fletcher, but Fibo and I call her the R.P.—that's the Ruling Power. But I hope she won't rule me up and down too much."
"She'll save me from doing it," said Fibo. "Now, I prophesy that she'll be the most charming lady, and we shall all fall in love with her violently, and long for her to live with us altogether!"
"It's very exciting," said Freda. "And do you know, Fibo, Mums is soon going back to London to do war work, and we shall be left here all the winter. She's coming back to us for Christmas, and we mean to have all kinds of nice things then."
"By Christmas I shall be able to dance on both my legs again," said Dreamikins.