When they were all seated he began, and said:
“Mrs. Force and myself have called you here, my children, to help us to decide whether, under the circumstances that have lately arisen, we shall go to England as soon as we can get off, or whether we shall carry out our first intention of waiting until June for the school commencement at which you three younger ones expect to graduate. Court-martial fashion, we will begin with our youngest. Little Rosemary, what do you think about it? Shall we wait two months longer, until you graduate, or shall we go at once? You are to go with us whenever we go, and so you are an interested party, you know. Come, speak up, without fear or favor!”
But it was no easy matter to get the tiny creature to speak at all.
Looking down, fingering her apron, she managed at last to express her opinion that Mr. and Mrs. Force ought to decide for them all.
“No, no! That won’t do at all! No shirking your duty, Liliputian! Tell us what you think,” laughed the master of the house.
“Well—then—I—think—it would be nice to go at once.”
“And miss your scholastic honors?”
“Yes,” muttered the child, looking shyly up from her long eyelashes. “I would rather miss them than miss going to England.”
“All right. One for the immediate voyage. Now, Elva?”
“Papa, I wish you would let Odalite settle the question. We all would like Odalite to have her own way,” said the affectionate little sister.