“Oh, yes; yes, indeed!” she said; “I hope you will all come.”
There was a chorus of thanks and acceptances, some only partial or conditional.
“I promise you I’ll be here when I can,” Arthur said; “but you know a doctor can seldom or never be sure of having his time at his own disposal.”
“You’ll be heartily welcome whenever you do come,” responded the captain; “but please take notice that you will be expected to be quite as much of a boy as your host.”
“No objection to that condition,” returned Arthur, smiling; “if I don’t out-do you in that, it shall be no fault of mine.”
“The next thing in order, I suppose, will be to consider how our young guests are to be feasted and amused,” remarked Violet.
“Yes,” replied her husband; “but my wife is to be burdened with no care or responsibility in regard to either. Christine and I will see to the first—preparations for the feasting—and I imagine there will be no trouble about the other; the children themselves will probably have a number of suggestions to make.”
“Some of the older ones, too,” said Zoe, eagerly; and went on to mention quite a list of games.
“Besides, we can act charades and get up tableaux; and oh, let us try something I read about the other day in Miss Yonge’s ‘The Three Brides,’ a magic case with a Peri distributing gifts, oriental genii, turbaned figures, like princes in the ‘Arabian Nights,’ singing and piano accompaniment. Oh, it would be fun, and delight the children, I’m sure! And I know we could manage it all among us very easily.”
“It sounds charming,” said Violet; “we must study it out and see what we can do. Shall we not, Levis?”