“Well, Blue Bonnet Ashe,” Kitty said, “why weren’t you at school?”
“I couldn’t come.”
“We missed you a lot,” Debby assured her.
“And the ‘rankin’ officer’ didn’t have to read the riot act nearly as much as usual—not more than once, for a fact!” Kitty added.
“Whom did she read it to that once?” Blue Bonnet asked.
“To Kitty,” Ruth answered, “Kitty got a precious raking-over.”
“It was very ungrateful in her,” Kitty declared; “I was only trying to keep her from missing Blue Bonnet too much.”
They gathered about the fire in the back parlor, talking and laughing, their voices sending pleasant echoes through the old house.
Presently Delia appeared with hot chocolate, and the little frosted cakes, the recipe for which was a Clyde secret.
“Here be luxury!” Kitty cried. “Blue Bonnet, do you have these cakes all the time?”