“Course I’m going to do it!” he declared. “But I want to look and see if Patrick isn’t there. Patrick maybe wouldn’t let me do it.”
“That’s so,” agreed Janet. “And if Nora saw us, she maybe wouldn’t let us, either.”
“No,” said Ted, in a low voice. He looked carefully out from the fringe of the bush, but saw neither Patrick, who did odd jobs about the Martin place, nor Nora, the cook; so the coast was clear.
“Come on, Jan!” Ted whispered.
“Oh, I—I’m almost getting scairt!” whispered the little girl, as she and her brother neared the scene of their latest trick.
“Pooh! Silly! What’s to be scared of?” asked Ted. “Come on!”
Thus teased, Janet took her brother’s hand for a quick dash across the open space to the shelter of the orchard. Suddenly, when the children were halfway over the little space, they heard their names called:
“Ted! Jan! Where are you? Come here! Mother says you have to ’muse me! Come on!”
“It’s Trouble!” gasped Janet.
“And we’ve got to amuse him!” sighed Ted. “Oh, jinkity jinks!”