Brown-Eyes nodded gravely. He immediately sat himself down on the floor, with his sturdy little feet straight out in front of him, and with his hands folded in his lap. “I be good,” he said, briefly. He never wasted his words.
The twins locked the laundry door and ran across to the kitchen. They intended to ask if Eliza had their luncheon ready for them upstairs, and to tell her to get something for the Boy; but cook had just taken from the oven the most distracting cookies, all in shapes of little pigs.
“Oh-h!” squealed the children in concert.
“An’ here’s a plateful fur yer auntie,” said cook. “Be off wid yerself, an’ don’t come nigh me agin till me floor’s mopped entirely.”
Off scampered Zaidee and Helen with the cookies, in great delight, and quite forgot their little prisoner in the laundry. They found auntie on the cool, vine-covered piazza.
“What hot little girlies!” she exclaimed, putting back the curly hair from the warm, shiny little faces. “Eliza,” she called to the nurse, who passed through the hall at that moment, “take the children upstairs and wash their hands and faces. Then come back here, little ones, and auntie will read you a story while you cool off.”
The twins went very willingly, and soon came back, fresh and sweet. They perched themselves on the broad arms of auntie’s chair, munching cookies and rocking comfortably, while auntie read to them.
Suddenly a nursemaid came running up the avenue.
“I beg your pardon, ma’am,” she said, breathlessly. “I’m Mrs. Bennett’s nurse, and she’s lost Phelps. We can’t find him anywhere, and Mrs. Bennett’s most distracted.”
The Bennetts were new people, who had lately come for the summer, having taken a house near by.