Mary laughed, too, and tried, furtively, to slip a bit of cake into the children's hands.
"Ah, at your old tricks, I see. Very well, if you undertake to make them ill you'll have to nurse them, that's all, for I am worn out."
"You do look completely used up," said Margaret, beginning to scrape her pallette.
"What are you doing, child?"
"Why, you don't suppose I am going to paint when my pets are here?"
"Nonsense! Their nurse is here. Now, I tell you, once for all, you shall go on exactly as if we were miles away. You say you are going to give each a picture at Christmas; and how are you going to do it if you let everybody hinder you?"
"I don't call Pug and Trot, 'everybody;' I can't do any more work to-day, anyhow."
"Well, you can to-morrow, for I am going to the Astor Library."
"To the Astor Library? What for?"