May looked surprised at his tone, and said eagerly, "You've never asked what I am going to get—something that will do for us all! I would not say a word till Lucia said we might, and she was so long in that shop that I could not ask her. But she likes it very much, and you can't possibly guess what it is."
"I don't particularly want to," said Evan, full of his own plans, and not interested in hers. "It's sure to be some girl's stuff or other; nothing that boys care about."
Barbara laughed gleefully. "Much he knows, does he, May?" she said.
May looked disappointed, and Evan began to be more sympathetic.
"Well, you can tell us," he condescended at last; "and then we'll see if we think it nice."
But May shook her head now, and would not say.
After breakfast the next morning Lucia and May had a grand confabulation, which ended in their starting together for Windsor to purchase the thing which May had set her heart on. Barbara had volunteered to walk with the others into the wood, so that all was happily arranged for everybody; and the two boys felt they would now have an opportunity to finish their talk in peace and quietness, for nurse would be sure to go to sleep under the trees, and Barbara would be happy with Queenie.
It had cost Barbara a great struggle to offer to stay behind with nurse and the boys. She cast many longing looks over the fields, and almost repented her decision when she remembered afresh what a very lovely thing May was going to get.
The morning dragged rather wearily, especially as the boys kept aloof, and seemed to have something particularly interesting to talk about, from which they evidently wished to exclude her. So that she was very pleased when nurse began to put up her work, and talked of going home to dinner.
When they got back to the cottage, Lucia and May had not returned. But as Barbara stood at the little gate, she heard wheels coming along the road, and she at length saw a little carriage, in which sat both her sisters, smiling and looking very happy.