"And then do you have to stand in a corner?" asked d.i.c.k, determined to find out just what were the consequences, and reverting to his most dreaded punishment.
"No," said Mrs. Pepper laughing. "Corners are for little folks; but when people who know better, do wrong, there aren"t any corners they can creep into, or they"d get into them pretty quick!"
"I wish," said little d.i.c.k, "you"d let me get into your lap. That would be a nice corner!"
"Do, mamsie," said Polly, coming up, "that"s just the way I used to feel; and I"ll finish the mending."
So Mrs. Pepper put down her work, and moved the big basket for little d.i.c.k to clamber up, when he laid his head contentedly back in her motherly arms with a sigh of happiness. Phronsie regarded him with a very grave expression. At last she drew near: "I"m tired; do, mamsie, take me!"
"So mamsie will," said Mrs. Pepper, opening her arms, when Phronsie immediately crawled up into their protecting shelter, with a happy little crow.
"Oh, now, tell us a story, Mrs. Pepper," cried Van; "please, please do!"
"No, no;" exclaimed Percy, scuttling out of his chair, and coming up, "let"s talk of the little brown house. Do tell us what you used to do there--that"s best."
"So "tis!" cried Van; "ALL the nice times you used to have in it! Wait just a minute, do." And he ran back for a cricket which he placed at Mrs. Pepper"s feet; and then sitting down on it, he leaned on her comfortable lap, in order to hear better.
"Wait for me too, till I get a chair," called Percy, starting. "Don"t begin till I get there."
"Here, let me, Percy," said Ben; and he drew forward a big easy-chair that the boy was tugging at with all his might.
"Now I"m ready, too," said Polly, setting small finishing st.i.tches quickly with a merry little flourish, and drawing her chair nearer her mother"s as she spoke.
"Now begin, please," said Van, "all the nice times you know."
"She couldn"t tell all the nice times if she had ten years to tell them in, could she, Polly?" said Jasper.
"Well, in the first place then," said Mrs. Pepper, clearing her throat, "the little brown house had got to be, you know, so we made up our minds to make it just the nicest brown house that ever was!"
"And it was!" declared Jasper, with an emphatic ring to his voice. "The very nicest place in the whole world!"
"Oh dear," broke in Van enviously; "j.a.ppy"s always said so. I wish we"d been there, too!"
"We didn"t want anybody but j.a.ppy," said Joel not very politely.
"Oh Joey, for shame!" cried Polly.
"j.a.ppy used to bake," cried little Davie; "an" we all made pies; an"
then we sat round an" ate "em, an" then told stories."
"Oh what fun!" cried Percy. "Do tell us!"
So the five little Peppers and Jasper flew off into reminiscences and accounts of the funny doings, and Mrs. Pepper joined in heartily till the room got very merry with the glee and enthusiasm called forth; so much so, that n.o.body heard Mrs. Whitney knock gently at the door, and n.o.body answering, she was obliged to come in by herself.
"Well, well," she cried, merrily, looking at the swarm of little ones around Mrs. Pepper and the big chair. "You are having a nice time! May I come and listen?"
"Oh, if you will, sister," cried Jasper, springing off from his arm of the chair, while Ben flew from the other side, to hurry and get her a chair.
Percy and Van rushed too, knocking over so many things that they didn"t help much; and little d.i.c.k poked his head out from Mrs. Pepper"s arms when he saw his mamma sitting down to stay and began to scramble down to get into her lap.
"There now," said Mrs. Whitney, smiling over at Mrs. Pepper, who was smiling at her. "You have your baby, and I have mine! Now children, what"s it all about? What has Mrs. Pepper been telling you?"
"Oh, the little brown house," cried d.i.c.ky, his cheeks all a-flame. "The dearest little house mamma! I wish I could live in one!
"Twouldn"t be the same without the Peppers in it," said Jasper. "Not a bit of it!"
"And they had such perfectly elegant times," cried Percy, enviously, drawing up to her side. "Oh, you can"t think, mamma!"
"Well now," said his mamma, "do go on, and let me hear some of the nice times."
So away they launched again, and Mrs. Whitney was soon enjoying it as hugely as the children, when a heavy step sounded in the middle of the room, and a voice spoke in such a tone that everybody skipped.
"Well, I should like to know what all this means! I"ve been all over the house, and not a trace of anybody could I find."
"Oh father!" cried Mrs. Whitney. "Van, dear, get up and get grandpapa a chair."
"No, no!" said the old gentleman, waving him off impatiently. "I"m not going to stay; I must go and lie down. My head is in a bad condition to-day; very bad indeed," he added.
"Oh!" said Phronsie, popping up her head and looking at him. "I must get right down."
"What"s the matter, Phronsie?" asked Mrs. Pepper, trying to hold her back.
"Oh, but I must," said Phronsie, energetically wriggling. "My poor sick man wants me, he does." And flying out of her mother"s arms, she ran up to Mr. King, and standing on tiptoe, said softly, "I"ll rub your head, grandpa dear, poor sick man; yes I will."
"And you"re the best child," cried the old gentleman, catching her up and marching over to the other side of the room where there was a lounging chair. "There now, you and I, Phronsie, will stay by ourselves.
Then my head will feel better."
And he sat down and drew her into his arms.
"Does it ache very bad?" said Phronsie, in a soft little voice. Then reaching up she began to pat and smooth it gently with one little hand, "Very bad, dear grandpa?"
"It won"t," said the old gentleman, "if you only keep on taking care of it, little Phronsie."
"Then," said the child, perfectly delighted, "I"m going to take all care of you, grandpa, always!"
"So you shall, so you shall!" cried Mr. King, no less delighted than she was. "Mrs. Pepper!"
"Sir?" said Mrs. Pepper, trying to answer, which she couldn"t do very well surrounded as she was by the crowd of little chatterers. "Yes, Sir; excuse me what is it, sir?"
"We"ve got to come to an understanding about this thing," said the old gentleman, "and I can"t talk much to-day, because my headache won"t allow it."
Here the worried look came into Phronsie"s face again, and she began to try to smooth his head with both little hands.
"And so I must say it all in as few words as possible," he continued.
"What is it, sir?" again asked Mrs. Pepper, wonderingly.
"Well, the fact is, I"ve got to have somebody who will keep this house.
Now Marian, not a word!" as he saw symptoms of Mrs. Whitney"s joining in the conversation. "You"ve been good; just as good as can be under the circ.u.mstances; but Mason will be home in the fall, and then I suppose you"ll have to go with him. Now I," said the old gentleman, forgetting all about his head, and straightening himself up suddenly in the chair, "am going to get things into shape, so that the house will be kept for all of us; so that we can come or go. And how can I do it better than to have the Peppers--you, Mrs. Pepper, and all your children--come here and live, and--"