[CHAPTER XVII—GOOD NEWS]
Grandfather remembered Christopher’s promise to Jane and did get up another picnic “for the ladies,” but the ladies included only Jane and her grandmother. Mrs. Hartwell-Jones and Letty were not invited for several reasons, chiefly because grandmother had expressed the wish to have it strictly a family party. She realized that the end of Jane’s and Christopher’s visit at Sunnycrest was drawing near; that before very long their father and mother would return and carry the children back to their home in the city. And so she thought that one last party, all by themselves, would be very nice. Jane and Christopher thought so too. They were always happy and contented with their grandparents.
Of course they went to the woods—the only picnic grounds worth considering except on circus day. Grandfather drove past the swimming pool, so that Jane might see the spot where Christopher had learned to swim and wherein he had almost drowned on that memorable afternoon. They went on farther yet into the woods. It was all deliciously green and brown; still and cool. Jane was quite confident that she would catch sight of a fairy before long.
Grandfather had brought some fishing-tackle, and after the picnic ground was chosen and the horse unharnessed and made comfortable, they all sat in a row on the bank of the stream and fished. At the end of half an hour Jane, to Christopher’s secret envy, was the only one who had caught anything. It was a fat little perch that wriggled and shone in the sunlight.
“Oh, the poor little thing!” cried Jane, and covered her face with her hands while grandfather took it off the hook.
“Coward-y cat!” jeered Christopher. “Isn’t that just like a girl! Afraid of a fish!”
Jane took up the cold, squirming thing and held it tight in both hands, looking her brother straight in the eyes.
“I am not a coward-y cat, Kit Baker,” she said quietly. “I just couldn’t bear to see the poor thing being hurt with that dreadful sharp hook.”
Christopher felt subdued. It had not occurred to him to feel sorry for the fish.
“It’s only a fish,” he muttered. “They don’t feel much.”