“Oh, Mrs. Brummagen,” said Cricket, eagerly, “you go, and I’ll stay with the baby. I can as well as not. Mrs. Whitby lives near us, and you just stop and tell mamma about it, please. We’d like to, wouldn’t we, Hilda?”
Poor little Mrs. Brummagen, overwhelmed by the thought of the young ladies staying and taking care of her baby, and distracted by the boy, who instantly urged the plan, hardly knew which way to turn. Cricket and Hilda both insisted loudly, the boy announced that she must go anyway, and so, before she really knew what she was about, she had on her bonnet and shawl, and was borne away triumphantly by the boy, protesting, all the time, that she mustn’t leave the clothes in soak.
Hilda and Cricket looked at each other, with broadly smiling faces, when they were left in possession.
“Isn’t this fun?” beamed Cricket. “I’ve always wondered how it would seem to live in one room. Just like a baby-house, isn’t it?” executing a war-dance around the solemn little Mosina, who watched the proceedings with calm interest.
“Lots of fun!” assented Hilda. “What will we do about lunch?”
“Lunch!” replied Cricket, blankly, at this practical suggestion; “I forgot about lunch. Oh, I guess there’ll be something to eat in the ice-box. Why, there isn’t any ice-box! Well, in the cupboard then! We’ll find something and cook it! Oh, ‘wot larks!’ as Archie says;” and Cricket danced gaily around Mosina again.
“Let’s play we live here all the time,” she added, stopping, with one foot up. “I’ll be Mrs. Brummagen. No, I won’t; I can talk Irish better than Dutch, so I’ll be Mrs. O’Flanagan, sure. You can be—let me see—you can be my daughter or my sister.”
“No, I won’t be either,” said Hilda with dignity. “I’ll be your mother, and wear a cap, and say ‘Arrah go bragh,’ and all those things.”
“Oh, splendid! you always do the old lady parts so well,” said Cricket, approvingly. “Let’s see what we can find for a cap. See! here’s a little white skirt of Mosina’s; guess it’s her best one. Have you any pins? We can pin the belt together and double the skirt, and here’s a beautiful cap with a ruffle and all, and so becoming!” adjusting the big cap, admiringly, and tucking up Hilda’s long curls.
“Now pin this funny little shawl around your shoulders. What a lovely grandma you always make!”