“It will do a great deal of good to make Mrs. Fletcher admire Audley bridge and the castle; and you need not call it frolicking, but only a morning’s ride.”
“A morning’s ride stretched out till near midnight! Think of the distance, my dear.”
“Suppose it should be past midnight,” said Anna; “it would still be a morning’s ride.”
“We will be home as early as you please, papa, if we can but set out early enough; and we have planned it all so completely——.”
“Well, well; don’t talk to me any more about it, but settle it all your own way. I have no time for such nonsense.” So saying, Mr. Byerley took out of his pocket his list of resolutions for the public meeting, and began to read very attentively. He soon seemed sorry, however, for his hastiness; for he folded up his paper, drew his girls to him, and put an arm round each of them as they stood.
“I hope, my dears,” said he, “that your heads have not been quite full of these little plans all this day.”
“No, papa, not quite full; not at church-time, nor while Tommy Rickham was saying his lessons; but yet——.”
“Are you quite sure what you were thinking of when Tommy was reading?” asked Anna. “Did you make no mistake that you remember?”
“Mistake! What mistake?”
“When he was reading about little Will’s giving all he had to the old beggar, he stopped at the word penny, and you told him it was pony: the little fellow stared, and I dare say he wondered how little Will could toss his pony into the old man’s hat.”