"No," replied Johnny: "we'll go down and tell mamma our plans first, and ask her if we may have the curtains, and hang up the pictures."
Mrs. Le Bras was very much pleased when Johnny came down looking so animated and happy: she had begun to feel as if his pleasure was to be spoiled for the summer by the advent upon the scene of such a thoughtless and rude boy as Felix. She assented very willingly to all his plans, and said he could take any of the discarded things in the attic to furnish his room, and might select and arrange them without her superintendence; only stipulating that Sue was not to be allowed to touch any thing without his orders or permission. She said all the old curtains were in the lower drawer of the bureau in the attic, and Johnny could select which he pleased. As for a covering for the lounge, she would give him a piece of very pretty new cretonne which had been left over of some she got for curtains to Kate's room.
As it was Saturday morning, there was plenty of time for Johnny to get his room in order before the time for the sunset exhibition. Having charged Sue, again and again, not to ask his mother to come up until all was in readiness, and to give him warning if there was any danger of her making her appearance, he went to work with a will, allowing Sue to help him all she could, for the sake of her company, and because he saw that this kind of business pleased her greatly. By four in the afternoon, the room was finished; and a very attractive place it was. Johnny had opened all the windows, and thrown back the blinds, so that the great space was flooded with light, and as pleasant as out of doors. The breeze was so strong, however, since there was nothing to intercept it at that height, that Johnny was obliged to close all but the front windows.
"I know it will be cool here on the warmest day in summer," said Johnny, "because it is ever so much cooler here to-day than it is in any other part of the house. That isn't generally the way with attics: but then, this is different from an attic; it is larger, and has more windows, and the roof is different."
"If there is a very, very warm day, you can go out at the scuttle," remarked Sue.
"Oh! I'll tell you what the scuttle will be good for," replied Johnny: "we can go up there evenings, and see the stars splendidly. I shall call that my observatory. We will try it this evening."
The scuttle was in the little hall between the storeroom and Kate's room, and was reached by a kind of stair-ladder: there were several large panes of glass in it, which afforded sufficient light for the little hall-way.
"Now we will go down and get all the books I shall need," said Johnny.
Johnny's books were in one corner of Mr. Le Bras' large bookcase, which nearly filled one side of the sitting-room. When they reached the sitting-room, they found their father had returned from his office.
"I'm going to carry some of my books into my sky-room," said Johnny, "but I don't know what to keep them in: my table isn't large enough to hold any thing but my inkstand, pens, and pencils, and some paper for writing and drawing."