"Never mind, Freda," she said comfortingly, when Nurse had left the room, "we had a glorious game. And I've left my handkercher up in my air machine, so I shall have to go up and get it as soon as ever I get off this chair. Oh, don't you wish we could live up in trees like the birds? I do."
"I should like to see Nurse having to climb a tall fir-tree every night to get to her nest," said Freda, with malice in her tone. "And I should like her nest to be made of holly. It would serve her right!"
Daffy chuckled with laughter.
"And now, of course," Freda went on gloomily, "she won't let us go and see Fibo this afternoon. Nothing could have turned out worse. I don't know why our games always do!"
"It's Satan, I suppose," said Daffy placidly. "Nurse says it's him who makes us get into scrapes."
Then they were silent. The nursery seemed oppressively warm this morning. Presently Nurse returned. Jane was with Bertie.
"I don't really think I shall let you go now," said Nurse. "I've had an invitation for you to go to tea with Captain Arnold this afternoon, and if you had been good—"
A wail from both chairs interrupted her.
"It isn't as if we really had made up our minds to be wicked," pleaded Freda. "Dirt and holes aren't wicked, and we didn't mean them to come on us!"
"And we're being punished now, Nurse. You can't punish us twice the same day for the same thing!"