Aunt Phyllis gazed at her, then, with a wondrous gladness in her pale face, turned homewards.
They all separated at their different doors. "The children," as they were called, promising to come in at the right time.
"No fear of our punctuality to-day, auntie," said John, smiling.
"I don't know," answered his aunt. "I have known unpunctual people as late on great occasions as on small."
"Have you? Then we shall prove ourselves, I hope, to be not unpunctual people."
They ran up their own steps and found Hugh taking off his coat in the hall.
"Make haste, Hugh," said John; "auntie has been giving us a lecture on not being late."
"I don't call it much of a lecture," said Alice. "Aunt Phyllis never lectures."
The girls went upstairs "to make themselves smart," as Hugh called it, and the two brothers walked into the dining-room.
John glanced at Hugh, but his face did not invite conversation, so he took up his new book and sat down in the window.