John came in with a nice smoking leg of lamb; and he then went out and brought some peas and young potatoes, to which he added a hot current and raspberry pie. Everybody sat down; Mr. Fairchild said grace, and began to help those at the table from the lamb, whilst Mrs. Fairchild served the peas. Lucy being helped, Mr. Fairchild said to Emily:
"Are you very hungry, my dear? Shall I give you much or little?"
"A few peas, my dear, then?" said her mother.
"None, thank you, mamma," was Emily's answer to every offer.
Mrs. Fairchild seemed rather surprised, but was still more so when Henry, who was always provided with a good appetite, gave exactly the same answers which Emily had done. She supposed, however, that the children had supped already, and said:
Emily told her mother, but coloured very much while speaking, and there was something their parents thought rather odd in both their faces.
"What is it?" said Mr. Fairchild; "there is some little mystery here; let us hear it. What has happened? I trust that you have not been playing in the sun and made yourselves unwell."
"No, papa," replied Henry, "we are not"--he was going to say hungry, but that would not have been true. "We are not--we do not--we do not wish for any supper; do we, Emily?"
"What!" said Mr. Fairchild, with a smile, and yet at the same time a little alarmed--"what! did you and Emily talk the affair over before, and agree together that you would not have any supper with us?"
"We did, papa," replied Henry bravely, "and when the things are taken away we will tell you all about it."
"I do beg," said Mr. Fairchild, "that you will tell us all about it, even before we begin to eat; for there is your mamma looking anxious; Emily looking ready to cry, and Lucy, too, with her. What is this great secret?"
"I will tell you, papa," said Henry, getting up, and walking round to his father's knee. "I opened the door, papa," he said; "it was not Emily's fault, she told me not to do it--and then she came out--and she went to the top of the barn, and we went after her--and she chattered to us--and then she went, and then we came after her--and then she sat on the gate, and went on and came to the stile, talking all the way, almost as if she had been making game of us. Did she not, Emily?"