"Not exactly——"
"I know you!"
"Well, come along; you cannot say that my generalship has not made you comfortable, anyhow."
"I don't wish to. What a glorious fire, Agnes; and what a nice arm-chair; and what a jolly little table; and what a nice inkstand; and——"
"There, John, leave off, or our afternoon will be gone; and those children will be up before we have had a moment's quiet."
She seated herself on the sofa, at one side of the fire, Minnie curling herself up by her with her book, and Agnes opening her Bible and bending over it.
Silence reigned for an hour; while John's pen scratched, and the leaves of his concordance turned over; and Agnes's eyes were fixed on one page, from which she hardly raised them, except to give Minnie an occasional caress, or to whisper something to her about her book.
At last there was a stir downstairs. Chairs were pushed back; careful Alice put on some coal, that the fire might not be out when they returned to it; and then there was a rush, and the two came tearing up the stairs.
"How jolly comfortable you look!" exclaimed Hugh.
"We are," said John, preparing to close his book.