“You shall have it, darling,” she said; but Peter, her husband, had already gone for it, and when he brought it, she said to him:
“Now, Peter, you and the children must stay out of this room. Has Maggie brought the clean sheets yet?”
“She never does,” said Peter, “not unless you go after them first.”
“Then I’ll just go and get them; and remember to keep the children out of here while I’m gone.”
“Hadn’t I better go for you?”
“No, I want to see her about the napkins too. I won’t be long.”
She kissed him, and patted the little boy in the crib, and waved good-bye to the other two children, and ran out to the coach.
“Good-bye, dear little family!” she cried, and got into the coach. “I’ll be back directly!”
Old Porringer touched up his ponies, and they bounded away.
“I’ll tell him where to stop,” said Merrimeg to Myrma. “I wonder why it is that washerwomen are always so unreliable.”