“Are you ready?” cried Kitty at that moment, tapping at the door of the little girl’s room.
“Yes. Just come in, please, Kitty,” cried Nancy.
Kitty entered. She wore a white dress with a pale-blue sash, and she looked most sweet and charming.
“Oh, you darling!” said Nancy, running up to her. “I must kiss you—I must. Oh, how different you are! Oh, it is such a relief to get home again!”
“What queer, broken sentences, Nancy!” exclaimed Kitty. “Why is it such a relief to get home; and who am I different from?”
“The Asprays,” said Nancy.
“Then you had not a happy day?”
“Oh, never mind! I suppose I ought to have had.”
“You need not see any more of them; you may be sure of that, Nancy. Uncle Peter was rather surprised at your both going. I think Uncle Peter is what you call punctilious—yes, that is the word. I am sure he won’t let us have anything to say to them until mother returns. But now let us hurry down to supper. Do you know, Nancy, that he is nicer than ever, and he has got no end of lovely schemes. I can see that we are going to have a most heavenly time.”
“Did he—did he say anything,” said Nancy slowly “did he say anything about our battalion?”