‘No, my dears, I don’t like to vex her when she thinks she is doing her duty.’
‘She wouldn’t come if you did, mamma,’ and there was a general outcry of intreaty that mamma would come with them, and defend them from Mrs. Halfpenny, as Fergus, who was rather a formal little fellow, expressed it, and mamma, after a little consideration, consented to drive the pony-carriage in that direction, and to announce to Nurse Halfpenny that she herself would take charge of the children. Whereupon there was a whoop and a war-dance of jubilee, quite overwhelming to Dolores, who could not but privately ask Mysie if Nurse Halfpenny was so very cross.
‘Awfully,’ said Mysie, and Wilfred added—
‘As savage as a bear with a sore head.’
‘Like Mrs. Crabtree?’ asked Dolores.
‘Exactly. Jasper called her so when he wanted to lash her up, till at lash she got hold of his ‘Holiday House’ and threw it into the sea, and it was in Malta and we couldn’t get another,’ said Mysie.
‘And haven’t you one?’
‘Yes, Gill and I save for it; but mamma only let us have it on condition we made a solemn promise never to tease nurse about it.’
‘And does she go at you with that dreadful thing—what’s it name—the tawse?’
‘Ah! you’ll soon know,’ said Wilfred.