"When could Father be home, if he comes?" asked Forbes, after a few moments pause.
"He might be here by Christmas," answered Geoffrey. "Poor Father! He must know by this time," he added, seating himself again by the fire. "Mr. Hodson telegraphed to him last night."
"Nurse says we needn't go back to school till after Christmas," remarked Jack, "We shall have a jolly long holiday."
"Jolly!" exclaimed Geoffrey, looking up in surprise,—then he remembered that Jack was only seven years old.
[CHAPTER II.]
WHO BROKE THE DOLL?
Had the inhabitants of Hazelbury seen the Rev. Claude Hodson on a certain winter's afternoon about a fortnight after the events recorded in the last chapter took place, crawling about the floor of his sitting room on all fours, minus a coat, but with a rug thrown across his back, and roaring in imitation of some wild beast, they would scarcely have recognised him as their quiet and grave young curate.
With children, he felt thoroughly at ease, and specially with his little friends the Fortescues. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to have all four of them to spend the afternoon with him and to stay to tea.
Mrs. Fortescue had always been very kind to him, and he had felt less shy with her than with most people.