Bets was thinking the same thing. She dressed quickly and went downstairs, wondering if she could cut some bread and butter before anyone came into the dining-room. She thought she could.
But just as she was cutting a big thick slice of bread, her mother came in. She stared in surprise at Bets.
"Whatever are you doing?" she said. "Are you so hungry that you can't wait for breakfast? And what an enormously thick slice, Bets!"
Poor Bets had to put the slice on her own plate and eat it. The porridge was brought in and she and Pip ate theirs. Then — hurrah! — a dish of sausages came in! The children's eyes gleamed. Now they would be able to take one or two to Luke.
"Please can I have two sausages today?" asked Pip.
"Me too," said Bets.
"Gracious, you must be hungry, Bets!" said her mother. She gave them each two. Their father was hidden behind his newspaper, so he would not be able to see what they were doing. But their mother could see quite well. How could they manage to hide away a sausage each? It was going to be difficult.
But just then Annie the maid came into the room. "Would you care to buy a flag for our local hospital, Madam?" she said. "Miss Lacy is at the front door."
"Oh, of course," said Mrs. Hilton, and got up to get her bag, which she had left upstairs. The two children winked at one another. Pip got out a clean hanky and wrapped a sausage up quickly. Bets did the same — but her hanky was not so clean! They pushed the wrapped-up sausages into their pockets with slices of bread, just as their mother came back.
Luke was glad of the bread and sausages. They took him some water to drink too. He sat in the summer-house eating, and they talked in low voices. "We'll bring you something at dinner-time too," said Pip. "And you can pick yourself plums and greengages from the trees, can't you, Luke?"