"Thanks to you girls," said John gratefully, as he caught up his books and ran off. "My last term at school, Agnes!"
"Now here we are once more," said Agnes with a deep sigh, gazing round on the room, which looked ever so much more empty than if her brothers had just started for an ordinary walk.
"Now I suppose we have to begin school?" said Alice with a wry face. But the wry face was put on, and the frown was gone—gone from her heart too; for yesterday she had looked once more at the text on the wall, and had yielded herself again to its influence.
"I was thinking," answered Agnes, "that we would give ourselves a holiday to do John's room."
"Jolly!" exclaimed Minnie. "I can clean and scrub beautifully; Jane says I can."
"We must all help to surprise him, for they will be home at one, and we have plenty of work before us."
"What shall we begin on?" asked Alice.
"I have to do a very quick piece of business, which if you like you may come up to the top to superintend; and then, Alice, I want you to go round to the picture-frame shop in Southampton Street, and tell the man I will send for it at eleven o'clock."
She ran upstairs without explaining further, followed by the wondering girls; and then they saw her take down John's cardboard text very carefully, and wrap it in paper.
"Now, Alice, as fast as you like there and back; and Minnie must go with you."