"If it is," replied his father, "it does not make it proper for you to speak in that way of one so much older than yourself, my boy. Aunt Patty is not coming at present; when she does come, I hope we shall all be ready to receive her kindly and respectfully."
"I see you expect to find it difficult, papa," said the rogue, with a mischievous twinkle of his eye. Before Mr. Bradford had time to answer, Mrs. Bradford, who had been reading her letter, exclaimed joyfully,—
"Dear Elizabeth Rush says she will come to us at New Year, and make us a long visit. I wish she could have come at Christmas, as I begged her to do, but she says she has promised to remain in Baltimore with her sister until after the holidays."
"Mamma," said Bessie, "do you mean Aunt Bessie is coming to stay with us?"
"Yes, darling. Are you not glad?"
"Indeed, I am, mamma; I do love Aunt Bessie, and the colonel will be glad too."
"That's jolly!" exclaimed Fred; and a chorus of voices about the table told that Aunt Bessie's coming was looked forward to with very different feelings from those which Aunt Patty's excited.
"Mamma," said Maggie suddenly, as they were about leaving the table, "don't you wish you had forty children?"
"Forty!" exclaimed Mrs. Bradford, laughing. "No, that would be rather too large a family, Maggie."
"But, mamma, if you had forty children, the house would be so full there would never be room for Aunt Patty."