Vosh had had a sort of surprise in his own mind, and he had worked it up among the other boys. It came out only a few evenings later, when aunt Judith was compelled to exclaim at the supper-table,—
"Skating-party on the ice! Who ever heard tell of such a thing! After dark too!"
"Yes, ma'am," said Corry gravely: "the skating's to be done on the ice,—all over it. There'll be the biggest bonfires you ever saw, and there'll be good moonlight too."
"Sakes alive!—Susie, would you like to go and look on for a while?"
"Indeed I would! Now, aunt Judith, you and aunt Sarah both go, and take Pen and me."
There was a little discussion of the matter, of course; but the deacon settled it.
"I used to think there wasn't any thing much better'n a skate by moonlight. It won't pay to hitch up a team, but I'll walk over with you. Let's all go."
The first whisper Port gave to Susie after supper was,—
"Hide your skates. I'll let 'em see mine: they don't know I can stand on 'em."
Corry was right about the moon, and the evening was wonderfully clear and bright.