It was just about dinner time—that is, the early, noon dinner of the Gleasons—Slyboots and I were on the upper veranda. Serena was in here in this closet on the feather bed. She feels so terribly about her experiences of last night at the mole-hunt that I have not been able to get her to budge out of the house all day.
Well, Slyboots and I heard carriage wheels and looked down. There was a stout-looking woman driving a big horse harnessed to a double-seated express wagon in which sat beside herself three children. I knew that they must be the Gleason children coming home, so I got up and looked curiously through the veranda railing.
Yes, there they were, the two little boys, and the little girl and their aunt. Mrs. Gleason ran out of the house and kissed her children, and Mary and her mother came out too.
My dear little mistress was greatly excited. I knew that she was, by the way she looked from her mother to the children. She was longing to go and speak to them, and presently Mrs. Denville took her hand, and led her forward.
The two boys were the queerest little fellows I ever saw. There is only a year's difference between their ages, and they look almost like twins. Timothy and Robert are their names. The girl is a little witch. Her name is Della. The two boys are prim and proper like two little old men. They keep together nearly all the time. The girl is flying about by herself all over the place. I fancied at first that Mary would like the little boys better than the little girl, but now I am beginning to think I was mistaken.
As soon as the aunt arrived this morning, her sister-in-law, Mrs. Gleason, said: “You will, of course, put your horse out.”
The fat woman nodded, and Mrs. Gleason went in the house and blew the dinner horn twice. That meant Denno, and he soon came running to take the aunt's horse to the stable. Then all the grown people went inside, and Mary and the little Gleasons stood staring at each other.
“Those your dogs?” inquired the little girl, pointing to Mona and Dolly.
“Yes, some cats and birds,” replied Mary.
“Let's see 'em,” returned Della with a commanding air, and Mary led the way up-stairs.
“I'm not going to be mauled by strange children,” said Slyboots, and she fled. I stood my ground, and presently they all trooped out on the veranda.