Polly gave a little start and grew pale.
"Grandpapa doesn't mean that," whispered Ben; "don't, Polly," when the door opened and the little doctor marched in, head erect and his eyes shining behind their big spectacles.
"Well, well," he declared breezily, "I thought you'd be through dinner," and without a bit of warning he went up to Polly's and Ben's chairs. "I don't know which of you children I'm proudest of," he began.
Everybody stared and laid down knives and forks, while the little doctor, as if he had the happiest sort of a tale to unfold when the proper time came, nodded over to his wife. "I've been attending Mrs. Van Ruypen," this time he bobbed his head over toward Mr. King.
"What, is Mrs. Van Ruypen sick?" asked the old gentleman, quickly.
"Got knocked down in the street," the little doctor brought it out jerkily.
When the little Peppers heard that they all started, and Joel exclaimed, "Oh!" and slunk down in his chair, wishing he could go under the table, while old Mr. King started a rapid fire of questions. Little Doctor Fisher, skipping into his seat, replied as fast as he could, till the accident and its result was pretty generally known around the table.
"But what have the children to do with it?" at last demanded Mr. King, in a puzzled way, as he was never able to take his mind off very long from the Peppers and their affairs.
The little doctor burst into a happy laugh, he was so pleased, and it was so very contagious that before long everybody at the table had joined, until any one looking in would have said, "Well, well, it's no use to wait for Christmas to be jolly, for here we are merry as a grig now!"
"I don't know in the least what I'm laughing at," said old Mr. King, at last, "but you are enough, Fisher, to start us off always. Now be so good as to tell me what it is all about," and he wiped his eyes.