“Shall we go on now?” said Rafe. “No”—for just at that moment the clear sound of a bell ringing reached them from the direction of their own home—“for there’s our dinner.” And dinner was an important event in Rafe’s eyes, even when rivalled by a fairy hunt.
“How provoking,” said Alix. “How quickly the morning has gone. We must go in now or they will come hunting us up and find out all about it; and you know, Rafe, if it has anything to do with fairies we must keep it a secret.”
Rafe nodded his head sagely.
“Of course,” he replied. “When do you think we had best come? This afternoon we are going a walk with nurse, and she’d never let us off.”
“No,” said Alix, with a sigh, for a walk with nurse was not a very interesting affair. “But I’ll tell you what, Rafe; if I can get hold of mamma to-night, just even for a minute, I’ll ask her if we mayn’t take something for dinner out with us to-morrow, and not come in till tea-time—the way we sometimes did last summer; for just now it’s really as fine and warm as if it was June. I think she’ll let us.”
“I do hope she will,” said the boy.