But real want of breath, and then the sound of mamma's skirts coming across the hall with a pretty soft rustle--I don't think any one else's skirts move so nicely; they seem to match her, not like that noisy flustering that is like saying, 'Here I am; I expect to be attended to'--made me stop at last. There was only time for George to whisper--
'It's a wonderful idea, Ida. I'll think a lot and then we'll talk about it, by ourselves, first, of course.'
'We mustn't think about it in church,' I replied in the same tone; 'we must _try_, I suppose, Dods, not to think of it in church--part of the time, at least. I don't see that it would matter so much during the first lesson, and _perhaps_ one of the psalms, if they are very long ones.'
'No--o, perhaps not,' he said, and then we both ran forward to kiss mamma.
She looked at us, and I saw her face brighten when she saw that ours were not very sad or dull. I think she had been afraid that in his wish to help _her_, papa had put too much of the burden on us two, considering how young we were then.
'My darlings!' she said, in a rather low voice, 'my own brave boy and girl,' and I am almost sure the tears came into her eyes. But the smiles came too.
'What a lovely day it is going to be!' she went on, as she glanced out of the window. 'I am so glad. We must put cares aside as much as we can and try to be happy and hopeful.'
'Yes, dear mamma,' I answered cheerfully, and with all the delightful exciting ideas in my head, it was quite easy to be bright, as you can understand, 'yes, we _are_ going to have a nice day. Geordie and I'--I glanced at him; he had not exactly said so, but I knew he would not mind,--'Geordie and I want to go down to the hut very soon after luncheon, if you say we may, to get it all ready for you and papa and the little ones, to come to tea.'
'All right,' said mamma, though I saw a tiny shadow cross her face as I spoke, and I knew she was thinking to herself that very likely it would be our last Sunday afternoon tea-party for a very long time, perhaps for ever, as far as the hut was concerned! But these solemn kinds of 'perhapses' are always in our lives, and if we were always thinking of them, it would be more than our minds and hearts could bear. We should not _forget_ them, but I am sure we are not meant to be gloomy about them. Still, at the best, even if my grand plan was carried out, there was plenty to be sad about, I knew. Poor papa's going so far away, first and worst of all, and worst of course for mamma, for though we loved him dearly, she must love him, I suppose, still more.