Then for some time their lives moved in a smooth uneventful groove. The cats were despatched to the London dealer; the neatly painted board came from Lady Ryehampton and was fixed up in the place of the Terror’s handiwork; they did their lessons in the morning; they rode out, along with Wiggins who now had his bicycle, in the afternoons.
Then came December; and early in the month they began to consider the important matter of their mother’s Christmas present.
One morning they were down at the home, giving the kittens their breakfasts and discussing it gravely. The kittens were indulging in engaging gambols before falling into the sleep of repletion which always followed their meals; but the Twins saw them with unsmiling eyes, for the graver matter wholly filled their minds. They could see their way to saving up seven or eight shillings for that present; and so large a sum must be expended with judgment. It must procure something not only useful but also attractive.
They had discussed at some length the respective advantages and attractions of a hair-brush and a tortoise-shell comb to set in the hair, when Erebus, frowning thoughtfully, said: “I know what she really wants though.”
“What’s that?” said the Terror sharply.
“It’s one of those fur stoles in the window of Barker’s at Rowington,” said Erebus. “I heard her sigh when she looked at it. She used to have beautiful furs once—when father was alive. But she sold them—to get things for us, I suppose. Uncle Maurice told me so—at least I got it out of him.”
The Terror was frowning thoughtfully, too; and he said in a tone of decision: “How much is that stole?”
“Oh, it’s no good thinking about it—it’s three guineas,” said Erebus quickly.
“That’s a mort o’ money, as old Stubbs says,” said the Terror; and the frown deepened on his brow.
“I wonder if we could get it?” said Erebus, and a faint hopefulness dawned in her eyes as she looked at his pondering face. “I should like to. It must be hard on Mum not to have nice things—much harder than for us, because we’ve never had them—at least, we had them when we were small, but we never got used to them. So we’ve forgotten.”