In her heart Priscilla thought that it was very clever of her little sister to have found out all that, but she did not tell her so; she thought Loveday was a vain enough little person already. She dropped down with a weary sigh beside her doll’s house, but they had already given that a thorough cleaning from top to bottom, and there was nothing more to do to it. They had dressed and undressed all their dolls and put them to bed, so that they were settled for the night, and wanted no more attention. Every animal had gone out of the ark for a walk, and marched back to it again, and there really seemed nothing left to do that was worth doing.
“I wish I could help mother,” sighed Priscilla, who always loved real work much more than play work—she would far rather help to dust a room than dust or tidy her doll’s house; “and if they are so busy,” she added, “I am sure there must be lots that I can do.”
After another moment or two had passed, she shut the doll’s house door with a bang, and got up from the floor. “I am going downstairs just a teeny-tiny way,” she said softly. “Don’t you come too, Loveday; you needn’t do everything that I do.”
But it was really too much to expect Loveday to stay in that dull nursery by herself, and very soon she was creeping out after Priscilla.
Priscilla had reached the foot of the nursery stairs, and was standing on the landing looking over the banisters, and listening for any sounds of life below, and Loveday joined her. No one was about, that they could see, but from the dining-room came the rattle of china. Presently, however, they heard their mother’s voice; she was speaking to Nurse.
“I will leave you to finish arranging the cups and saucers,” she said, “and I will go to the kitchen and place the cakes out on the plates; then it will be time for me to dress. I ought to rest for a few minutes, for I am so tired already I can scarcely stand.”
Priscilla and Loveday drew back while their mother passed along the hall below, for they did not want to be seen; they were doing no harm, they thought, and it was very much more interesting to be there than in the nursery. They must run away, though, before mother came upstairs to dress, but by that time it would be nearly time for them to watch from the nursery windows to see the first guests arrive.
“I do wish I could help mother,” sighed Priscilla again. “She is so tired, and has such lots to do. Can’t we do something to help? Oh!” with sudden delight, “I know what I’ll do! I’ll dust the drawing-room! Now, don’t you come too, Loveday. I thought of it first, and I can do it by myself, and you are sure to break something and get us both a scolding.”
But Loveday was not to be put off in that way, and, to save a howl, Priscilla said, “Well, come along; you may come if you will promise to be good.”
The drawing-room was on the very landing on which they stood. Priscilla crept over to the door and looked in. Of course it was empty, and to her it looked as though the furniture had all been pushed back, just as when the room was going to be swept, only there were no dust-sheets over the things.