“I think you may find a chance of work; they have three small children, and not much money,” said her father prophetically.
“I say, I hope the Major would agree,” Jim put in. “I know he’s horribly proud.”
“We’ll kidnap the babies, and then they’ll just have to come,” Norah laughed.
“Picture Mr. Linton,” said Wally happily, “carrying on the good work by stalking through London with three kids sticking out of his pockets—followed by Norah, armed with feeding-bottles!”
“Wounded officer and wife hard in pursuit armed with shot guns!” supplemented Jim. “I like your pacifist ideas of running a home for Tired People, I must say!”
“Why, they would forget that they had ever been tired!” said Norah. “I think it’s rather a brilliant notion—there certainly wouldn’t be another convalescent home in England run on the same lines. But you’re not good on matters of detail—people don’t have feeding-bottles for babies of that age.”
“I’m not well up in babies,” said Wally. “Nice people, but I like somebody else to manage ’em. I thought bottles were pretty safe until they were about seven!”
“Well, we’ll talk it over with the Hunts to-morrow—the cottage, not the bottles,” Mr. Linton said. “Meanwhile, it’s bed-time, so good-night, everybody.” He dispersed the assembly by the simple process of switching off the electric light—smiling to himself as Jim and Norah two-stepped, singing, down the tiny corridor in the darkness.
But the mid-day post brought a worried little note from Mrs. Hunt, putting off the party. Her husband had had a bad report on his hand that morning, and was going into hospital for an immediate operation. She hoped to fix a day later on—the note was a little incoherent. Norah had a sudden vision of the three small Hunts “who made rather more noise than a regiment” rampaging round the harassed mother as she tried to write.
“Perhaps it’s as well—we’ll study the cottage, and make sure that it’s all right for them,” said her father. “Then we’ll kidnap them. Meanwhile we’ll go and send them a big hamper of fruit, and put some sweets in for the babies.” A plan which was so completely after Norah’s heart that she quite forgot her disappointment.