"Him's not stupid, are him?" he said; and in a moment Celia and Fritz were hugging him and calling Denny a naughty, unkind girl to tease him. Mother and auntie had walked on a little, so things might have gone on to a quarrel if Lisa hadn't stopped it.
"Mine children," she said, "it is too pity to be not friendly together. See what one beautifullest place this is—sky so blue and sea so blue, and all so bright and sunny. One should be nothing but happy here."
"Yes," said Celia, looking round, "it is an awfully pretty place."
Celia, you see, was just beginning to be old enough to notice really beautiful things in a way that when children are very little, they cannot quite understand, though some do much more than others.
"It is a very pretty place," she said again, as if she were speaking to herself, for Fritz and Denny had taken it into their heads to run races, of which Lisa was very glad, and Celia stood still by herself, looking round at the lovely sea and sky, and the little white town perched up above, with the mountains rising behind. Suddenly a little hand was slipped into hers.
"Him would like to live here everways," said Baby's voice; "it are so pitty—somefin like Heaven, p'raps."
"I don't know," said Celia, "I suppose Heaven must be prettier than anything we could fancy."
"There's gold streets in Heaven, Lisa says," said Baby; "him sinks blue sky streets would be much pittier."
"So do I," said Celia.
Then they walked on a little, watching Fritz and Denny, already like two black specks in front—they had run on so far—and, somehow, in the very bright sunshine, one seemed to see less clearly. Mother and auntie were in front too, and when Fritz and Denny raced back again, quite hot and out of breath, mother said it was time for them all to go in; it was still rather too hot to be out much near the middle of the day, though it was already some way on in November, and next month would be the month that Christmas comes in!