She laughed and shook her head.
“I wish you’d come to-morrow morning.”
“What, at seventy become a Peculiar Child of God? No, Bram, I may be in my second childhood, but it’s not going to be a peculiar second childhood.”
“All the same, I wish you would come. I think you’ll laugh.”
Bram’s dark eyes were twinkling so brightly in anticipation of the scene to-morrow morning that his grandmother’s curiosity was roused. However, he would not tell her why he advised her to sample the meeting-house for the first time in her life to-morrow. He still retained enough of the child’s suspicion of the grown-up’s theory of what is and what is not a good joke to make him cautious even with her, though he was extremely anxious to give the old lady the benefit of the diversion he had prepared. He was so urgent indeed that in the end she actually promised to come if she felt able to stand the prospect in the morning.
Before going to bed Bram went into his brother’s room and paid him back the loan with interest.
“And I’ll have my bat to-night, thank you very much,” he said.
Caleb did not play cricket himself, but he was much disgusted at losing the bat, because he had planned to sell it for at least five shillings at the beginning of the summer term.
“Look here, I’ll give you three shillings for it, if you don’t want to pay me back the money, Bram.”
“No, thanks.”