Kenneth’s eyes looked very serious indeed, as his mother left the room. Such a long, long time she was gone!
Kenneth looked at the books, and then at his red fingers. Papa might come and find him in the corner. He began to want to go and put the books back now, but somehow his legs would not carry him there. Then mamma appeared, and, oh, dreadful! she had a little lilac switch, that to baby’s frightened eyes looked like a club. Very slowly she came towards her little son, looking, oh, so sad! and suddenly Kenneth’s stubbornness melted away.
“Tennet will! Tennet will!” he cried, and flew past mamma, and with breathless haste scrambled up the red-bound Rollo books, stowing them in their places with much eagerness, if not very carefully.
Mamma sat awaiting him with open arms, and as Kenneth nestled up to her shoulder, he put his arms around her neck and whispered,—
“Please don’t tell papa zat I had to chain my mind aden.”
CHAPTER XXIX.
A STRAWBERRY HUNT.
The winter in town slipped by quickly. The children were counting impatiently the weeks that must pass before they should be at dear old Kayuna again, when all plans for the summer were very suddenly changed.
Mamma grew no stronger as the spring came on, and papa and other doctors thought that she ought to have a sea-voyage. Papa decided to go abroad for two or three months and see what the air in the Swiss mountains would do for her. At first mamma insisted on taking all the children, for she could not make up her mind to leave one of her dear little flock behind, but papa knew that she ought to have no care at all. Finally, after much discussion, it was settled in this way: Marjorie and Donald, who were old enough to be of some help and comfort to mamma, should go, and the other children should be sent to Marbury, a dear old seaport town, where grandmamma lived, for the summer. Mamma begged for Kenneth, her baby, but the doctors all said no. Eliza was perfectly devoted to him and the twins, and she promised not to let them out of her sight all summer, and besides, Auntie Jean would be at grandma’s also. So mamma had to be content.
Kayuna was to have an addition built on this summer, since they were all to be away, for, as the family grew, they needed more room, and much repairing was to be done also.
Papa and mamma were to sail the last of June. One day, about the middle of the month, papa went out to Kayuna, to give his final directions about the work to be done there.