“Yes, yes,” said Cicely; “do stay—do, Molly! We want to hear a lot more about that remarkable girl Maggie Howland.”
“I can’t stay,” said Molly in a semi-whisper; “but I tell you what, girls.” She seized a hand of both as she spoke. “I have come with news.”
“What?” “What?” asked the twins eagerly.
“There’s very seldom much news going on here,” said Cicely. “Not that we mind—not a little bit; we’re as happy as girls can be.”
“Of course we are,” said Merry. “We haven’t a care in the world.”
“All the same,” said Cicely, “tell us your news, Molly, for you do look excited.”
“Well,” said Molly, who enjoyed the pleasure of giving 6 her friends a piece of information which she knew would interest them intensely, “you know we are to come up here this afternoon to have tea and buns, aren’t we?”
“Oh, don’t talk in that way!” said Merry. “One would suppose you were school children, when you are our darling, dear friends.”
“Our only friends,” said Cicely. “You are the only girls in the world father allows us to be the least bit intimate with.”
“Oh, well,” said Molly, “of course Belle and I are very fond of you both, naturally.”