“My darling child! your throat is sore? Why didn’t you tell me before? Where’s Eunice? We will go immediately. Find Eunice, and both of you slip away to the dressing-room without speaking to any one. I’ll say good-by for you to Emily and Mrs. Drayton.”
“Eunice is ready, mamma. She feels queer, too.”
Mrs. Ward’s heart, mother-like, jumped into her mouth. Cricket’s description of her feelings might mean any one of so many things! However, she kept a calm face, and hastened to explain matters to Mrs. Drayton.
“Do you know, I almost believe that all the children are coming down with something,” said Mrs. Drayton, anxiously. “That would account for their all being so heavy and dull, and hard to amuse. Poor little Emily is in despair. She has looked forward to this so long!”
The next day, seventeen of the children who had been at the party were down with the mumps.
CHAPTER IV.
IN QUARANTINE.
“So it’s only the mumps!” sighed Cricket, with much relief, after papa’s visit to their respective bedsides the next morning. “Papa, do you know I was dreadfully afraid that I had lumbago in my throat all day yesterday, when it was all swelly-feeling and hurt so to swallow. That would have killed me, wouldn’t it?”
Papa laughed hard.
“It might be a serious matter if you had it in your throat, but you are in no more danger of its getting there than you are of having toothache in your toes, my Lady Jane. Will you take a look at yourself this morning?” and papa held up a hand mirror.
All resemblance to Cricket had totally disappeared from the swollen-faced little maid on the bed, and the child stared in blank astonishment.