Breakfast and family prayers over, the young girls hastened to their rooms to prepare for the little excursion, all seemingly in the gayest spirits at the pleasing prospect; none more so than merry, excitable Lulu.
She and Grace were ready a little sooner than either of the other girls, and went down to the veranda to wait there for the rest.
As they did so a servant passed them with the bag containing the morning mail, which he had just brought from the nearest post-office.
He carried it to the library, where Mr. Dinsmore and the captain were seated, awaiting the appearance of the ladies, carriages, and horses.
As if struck by a sudden thought, Lulu ran after him. She saw her father take the bag, open it, hand several letters to Mr. Dinsmore, select several others and give them to the servant (with directions to carry them up to the ladies), then lay a pretty large pile on the table, take up one, and open it.
"There, those are papa's own," she said to herself, "and what a number he has!—all to be answered, too. I don't believe he'll take time to ride this morning; he's always so prompt about replying to a letter. Oh, dear, I don't want to go without him, and I just wish they hadn't come till to-morrow."
She walked slowly out to the veranda again.
Rosie and Evelyn had not yet made their appearance, and Grace was romping about with little Elsie and Ned.
Just then a servant man came round from the stables, leading the ponies the little girls were to ride, and at sight of them Lulu seemed to take a sudden resolution.
"Oh, Solon," she said, hurrying toward the man, "you can put my pony back into the stable; I'm not going to ride this morning; I've changed my mind; and if anybody asks about me, you can tell them so," and with that she ran away round the house and seated herself on the back veranda, where she had been when Professor Manton made his call upon the captain.