“Good news! great news! Lewis,” cried Edward, the moment his brother entered the breakfast-room the next morning. “If you had been up a little sooner you might have heard it too. Now guess who is coming to-day.”
Lewis raised a shout of joy, and exclaimed, that it must be his dear papa.
“Yes, you are partly right; but there is some one else coming too,” said Edward, his eyes sparkling with pleasure: “cannot you guess?”
“Not I,” said Lewis; “I am afraid, if papa has any of his friends with him, he will not give up so much of his time to us.”
“Oh! but it is a friend of ours too, Lewis, I must tell you. Papa is going to bring cousin Helen with him; and she is to stay till we return to school.”
“Oh, joy! joy!” cried Lewis, “how many things we shall have to show her and tell her about! How soon will they be here?”
Mrs. Ashton said, she did not expect the travellers till evening; and advised the children to form some plan of employment for the day, that the time might not pass heavily.
“Will you help us, mamma?” said Edward; “I always like your plans.”
“Well, then,” said his mother, “suppose we walk this morning, and spend the afternoon in looking at, and arranging the shells and sea-weed: perhaps,” she added, seeing Lewis’s look of disappointment, “I may find something entertaining to tell you respecting them; and you, Lewis, may choose our walk for this morning.”
“Thank you, mamma; then, if you please, we will go along the western cliff, as far as Brunswick Square. I like that side of the town, it is so gay; besides, I see by the little map papa gave us, that there are several squares in that direction; and I want to visit them all, that I may make a good showman for cousin Helen.”