"My dear boy," she says, "what are you doing with Molly? Why, do you know that the child has no hat on, nor even a wrap of any kind?"
"I had a wrap, Mrs. Horton, but I have just thrown it off, and it was not worth while to put anything on my head."
"O, if you have only just come from next door that is a different matter," says Mrs. Horton, reassured. "What has Hugh dragged you in here for now?" she continues kindly while she puts one arm affectionately round the girl's shoulders. "It is surely your tea-time now, dear, and it is too bad if he has taken you away from that."
Hugh looks guilty, but Molly comes to the rescue for the second time.
"O, I didn't mind, indeed, Mrs. Horton," she says. "Hugh was so dreadfully put out about the shoe, you know, so I thought it best to come in and see what we could do about it. He didn't ask me to come at all; I offered to myself."
"I shouldn't have bothered Molly about it at all, mother," the young fellow puts in; "but you see it is your 'at home' day, and I didn't know whether every one had gone. And what to do about this blessed shoe I didn't know, with the time running on so fast too; and I had promised to have it ready for to-night's rehearsal. Molly's a dear good-natured girl, and I knew she would find some way of managing."
"Well, Hugh, you know I would gladly have done anything I could for you about it; but of course, as you say, I couldn't very well leave my guests. Now, shall we go up and see what this tyrannical shoe requires?"
On reaching the large room upstairs which is devoted exclusively to the use of the boys, they find all the other four engaged in different occupations, more or less noisy. The babel of tongues ceases, however, at the sight of the trio looking in upon them, and there is a general rush towards the door. While Ted and Joey seize upon their mother, Regy and Alick dart at Molly, and dragging her across the room to where a funereal-looking object is reclining against the wall, they proceed to describe noisily the difficulties of the case.
"I wanted it lowered out of the window!" cries Alick, determined to be heard, "and hauled up again into yours. That would have been quite easy, you know, and not half the fuss in my opinion."
"Who cares for your opinion, Alick?" says Regy contemptuously.