“But, oh,” cried Phyl, “I don’t think Suey ought to have another ice-cream, she’s had five, and it was only yesterday she had whooping-cough and perelsis.”
“Give it to my old Molly Coddles,” said Weenie, and kissed her poor puppet in an unusual burst of [96] ]tenderness,—“poor old Molly, I wisht you’d let her sleep in the bed with Jennie and Suey,—she hasn’t got nowhere to sleep.”
The door opened and the mother came in.
Weenie greeted her hilariously.
“Come an’ have some ice-cream, mummie,” she cried, “twickerly, twickerly, or Molly ’ll eat it all.”
“[We are going to Australia.]”
But Phyl and Dolly dropped their dolls and rushed to their mother with parted lips and eagerly questioning eyes.
Mrs. Conway’s face was a little pale, but her hair was no longer pushed back, and worry-wrinkles had smoothed themselves from the forehead. [97]
]Her eyes looked brave and calm and smiling, there was no fear in them at all.
“Oh, what is it?” Phyl cried; “it is a big, big thing, I know, I know.”