“Two birds with one stone, and such a stone!” ejaculated the bewildered colonel.
“Four birds, father—there are two babies as well.”
“Whew!” said the colonel, “what a holiday I am having!”
“Poor father,” said the girl, “it’s too bad!”
“Oh, well. The more the merrier. What’s to be done now? We’d better charter a coach and four and a brass band and go and fetch them home in state. If they’d wait till to-morrow we would have up a triumphal arch too.”
“How frivolous you are, father! We must get them away with as little fuss as possible. I arranged with Mr Jeffreys that he would bring Mr Forrester here in a cab this morning.”
“And the babies?”
“He will go back for them afterwards.”
“Well, as you like; but what about Percy and the Rimbolts?”
“Percy was to go out of town to-day, you know, and will not be back till to-morrow. By that time we shall be able to find out what Mr Jeffreys would like best.”