“O Aunt Emily, I should so like to play one game with them before they go!”
“I will have one with you, if you can be very careful of their tender points,” said Mrs. Umfraville, without one of the objections that Kate had expected; “but first I want you to help me about some of the other things. Your uncle meant one of the work-boxes for you!”
“O Aunt Emily, how delightful! I really will work, with such a dear beautiful box!” cried Kate, opening it, and again peeping into all its little holes and contrivances. “Here is the very place for a dormouse to sleep in! And who is the other for?”
“For Fanny de la Poer, who is his godchild.”
“Oh, I am so glad! Fanny always has such nice pretty work about!”
“And now I want you to help me to choose the other presents. There; these,” pointing to a scarf and a muslin dress adorned with the wings of diamond beetles, “are for some young cousins of my own; but you will be able best to choose what the other De la Poers and your cousins at Oldburgh would like best.”
“My cousins at Oldburgh!” cried Kate. “May they have some of these pretty things?” And as her aunt answered “We hope they will,” Kate flew at her, and hugged her quite tight round the throat; then, when Mrs. Umfraville undid the clasp, and returned the kiss, she went like an India-rubber ball with a backward bound, put her hands together over her head, and gasped out, “Oh, thank you, thank you!”
“My dear, don’t go quite mad. You will jump into that calabash, and then it won’t be fit for anybody. Are you so very glad?”
“Oh! so glad! Pretty things do come so seldom to Oldburgh!”
“Well, we thought you might like to send Miss Wardour this shawl.”