"It's both of them," said Celia. "Mother, I wish you wouldn't let them be near each other. Denny put her hand into the dormice's cage when Fritz wasn't looking, and she poked out Tim, who was just beginning to come awake for the night, and she as nearly as could be got his tail pulled off, and then, when Fritz caught her, she screamed."
"Fritz snipped my hand in the little door of the cage," sobbed Denny. "And Celia always takes Fritz's part."
Celia was beginning; to "answer back," when auntie stopped her by a look—the children were sometimes rather afraid of auntie's "looks."
"Dear me, young people," said grandfather from his end of the carriage, "you might be peaceable for five minutes, and then we shall be in London, and you shall have a good tea before we go on again."
The children all grew quiet. They were glad to hear of tea, and they were a little ashamed of themselves. Auntie moved over to their end of the carriage.
"Him would like some tea too, p'ease," said Baby, as she passed him, and auntie patted his head.
"They are all tired, I suppose," said mother; "but it really is too silly, the way they quarrel about nothing."
"Auntie," said Celia softly, "I think it was partly my fault. Denny and Fritz asked me to tell them a story, and I wouldn't. It would have kept them quiet."
"Well, never mind now," said auntie. "You must all try and be very good to-morrow. This is only the first day, you know. You can't be expected to be very clever travellers yet. And the very first lesson to learn in travelling is—do you know what?"
"Not to lose your things?" said Celia.