Phebe asked a great many questions every day about her visit, and thought that Tuesday was a long while coming; however it came at last, and when dinner was over the chaise was brought to the door, and as soon as she was comfortably seated between her Papa and Mamma they set off, and Phebe began to be very happy.
“Well, Phebe, are you quite happy?” said her Papa, after they had gone a little way.
“Yes, thank you, Papa;—that is to say, I should be, if the sun did not shine exactly in my eyes;—and I am obliged to keep holding my bonnet too, or else I am afraid the wind would blow it off; and that makes my arm ache rather.”
“So you see, my love, there is always something to keep us from being quite happy,” said her Papa.
“Yes, till we get to Mrs. Mason’s, Papa,” replied Phebe.
“What a pretty house,” exclaimed she, as the chaise stopped at Mr. Mason’s gate; “and what a nice garden before it!”
They were shown into a very pretty cheerful parlour, with a window almost down to the ground, overlooking the garden, which was filled with all sorts of flowers, and just beyond the garden was a large meadow, where there were a number of lambs skipping about, and looking as frolicsome as could be. Mr. and Mrs. Mason took a great deal of notice of Phebe, and promised that she should have whatever she liked, all the while she was there.
“O how I will run about in the fields to-morrow,” thought Phebe; “and then when I come in, how delightful it will be to sit in this pretty parlour and look at the lambs!”
Soon after tea her Papa and Mamma left her, with many injunctions to be a good girl. She had never visited any where alone, before, and she could scarcely help crying when she saw them drive out of sight, and leave her all alone, five miles from home. It soon grew dark, and Phebe began to feel very tired. Mr. Mason was reading the newspaper, and Mrs. Mason had got out her knitting; but Phebe had nothing at all to do, and very much wished it was bed-time.
“Perhaps, my dear, you’d like to go to bed before supper,” said Mrs. Mason, seeing her look very sleepy.