Mother and auntie were later than they had expected of returning from their drive. They had gone a long way, and coming back it was mostly up-hill.
"Fritz will be thinking we have forgotten him," said mother, looking at her watch, "but I told him to be sure to wait till we came. He is too little to go home alone yet, at least till he knows his way quite well or can speak enough to ask."
"We might have told Celia and Denny to call for him, as they are out with Mademoiselle," said auntie.
Just then in turning a corner, for they were quite in the town now, auntie's eyes caught sight of the narrow street where the old curiosity shop was.
"By the by," she said, "I should so like to ask about that picture. I told you about it, you remember, May?"—May, you know, was the children's mother's name—"have we time to go that way?"
"I'm afraid not; we are late already," said mother. "I'm so sorry."
"Oh, never mind, another day will do quite well," said auntie, cheerfully.
So they drove home, quickly, just stopping a moment to pick up Fritz, who was waiting for them at the gate of his school.
If they had happened to go round by the old curiosity shop, how surprised they would have been; but what a great deal of trouble it would have saved them, as you shall hear.
Lisa met them as they got home, with a long story about the table and the flowers and the stupidness of François, which mother and auntie could hardly help laughing at.