"Yes. I think it is remarkably good of him to be troubled with you," said Aunt Alice laughing.
The next afternoon at three o'clock a very high and smart dogcart stopped at the gate, and the children walked out most importantly to meet it.
"If only Mrs. Cox could see us!" said Hope.
They packed themselves in with glee.
"We don't feel a bit frightened of going with you now," said Charity; "but we were rather nervous the other day, when you played pirate and pretended you were going to take us prisoners. Even when you said you'd lead us to the treasure, we suspected treachery."
"You are quite sure I'm to be trusted now?"
"Oh, yes, because you've seen Aunt Alice!"
They had the most delightful drive, and the Pirate was most amusing.
"You seem to understand very well," said Hope, when he had been condoling with them about the unhappiness of monotony.
"Ah," he said, "I remember when I was a boy how I loved all unexpected events, I didn't care how grown-up people were inconvenienced. If a cistern burst, and the water came pouring downstairs, if the wind blew a tree down and smashed an open casement window, if a cook ran off, and left us without any dinner, or any other domestic disaster came upon us, how delighted and excited I was!"