Father said: "It must be gone over. Our general manager here ordered me to speed up, and we drove a little coming from town."
Mother went to planning what else should be done.
"Don't do anything!" cried Shelley. "The house is all right. There's no need to work and worry into a sweat. He won't notice or care how things look."
"I miss my guess if he doesn't notice and care very much indeed," said mother emphatically. "Men are not blind. No one need think they don't see when things are not as they should be, just because they're not cattish enough to let you know it, like a woman always does. Shelley, wouldn't you like to ride over and spend the afternoon with the Princess?"
"Nope!" said Shelley. "It's her turn to come to see me. Besides, you don't get me out of the way like that. I know what you'll do here, and I intend to help."
"Do you need one of the boys at the house?" asked father, and if you'll believe it, both of them wanted to stay.
Father said he must have one to help wash the carriage and do a little fixing around the barn; so he took Leon, but he didn't like to go. He said: "I don't see what all this fuss is about, anyway. Probably he'll be another Peter."
Shelley looked at him: "Oh Mr. Paget isn't nearly so large as Peter," she said, "and his hair is whiter than yours, while his eyes are not so blue."
"Saints preserve us!" cried Leon. "Come on, father, let's only dust the carriage! He's not worth washing it for."
"Is he like that?" asked mother anxiously.