The doctor stood facing the gate, his stout stick in his hand, and his eyes fixed on her quite as if he knew who she was.
“He doesn’t look as if he thought I was David to-day,” said Nancy to herself; and encouraged by the doctor’s attention she went on confidentially.
“You see, father and mother and the little ones are coming back on Monday, and the boys are going to open the museum, but Pennie and I haven’t anything to do with that, and we wanted to make a triumphant arch and decorate the house, and Andrew won’t let us have any ever-greens.”
“A triumphant arch, eh!” said the doctor, and Nancy wondered why he smiled as he said it, as though it were something odd; “but wouldn’t it be difficult for you to make that?”
“The boys would help us,” said Nancy; “but it’s no use thinking of it, because we can’t have any ever-greens.”
“It’s a splendid idea,” said the doctor thoughtfully. “Whose was it?”
“Mine,” said Nancy proudly. She began to like Dr Budge very much.
“Why shouldn’t you go up into the woods,” said he after a moment. “There’s plenty of ivy and holly there, and you might get as much as you liked.”
“We mus’n’t go there alone,” said Nancy sadly, “and Miss Grey couldn’t walk so far, and if she could it’s too late now, for it would take us all the afternoon to get there and back, and to-morrow’s Sunday.”
“But you could get up early, I suppose, on Monday morning and put up the triumphant arch,” persisted the doctor.