_Old Nursery Rhyme._
NOTHING particular happened during the next few days. Peggy"s little life went on regularly and peacefully. Miss Earnshaw came every morning, and either she or f.a.n.n.y took Peggy a walk every afternoon, except twice when it rained, to the little girl"s great disappointment.
The second of these wet days happened to be Friday. Peggy stood at the front nursery window that morning looking out rather sadly. There were no hills--no white spot to be seen, of course.
"I wonder what the Smileys do when it rains all day," she said to herself. "I think I"ll go to the back window and look if I can see any of them."
She had scarcely caught sight of her neighbours for some days. Only now and then she had seen the little ones tumbling about on the pavement, and once or twice the elder girls had brought their chairs down and sat there sewing. Lizzie had never come out. Peggy feared she must be still ill, and perhaps that made the others extra busy. It was not likely any of them would come out to-day, as it was raining so; but _sometimes_ she was able to see their faces at the window. And on a rainy day some of the little ones at least would perhaps be looking out.
She turned to go to the other nursery when Miss Earnshaw spoke to her.
"I wouldn"t be so vexed at its being wet to-day, Miss Peggy, if I was you," she said. "It"ll be much worse if it"s wet to-morrow, for it"s your brothers" half-holiday."
"Is to-morrow Sat.u.r.day?" asked Peggy.
"To be sure it is. And I"m afraid I can"t possibly stay here in the afternoon. I"ve got to go to see a lady some way off about some work. I wish she hadn"t fixed for Sat.u.r.day. If it"s fine it won"t matter so much. f.a.n.n.y and I were saying you could all go a nice walk--the young gentlemen and you, with her. But if it"s wet I don"t know however she"ll manage you all in the house."
Suddenly Peggy"s eyes began to sparkle.
"Miss Earnshaw," she said, "I"ve thought of something. If you"ll ask f.a.n.n.y, I"m sure she"ll say we can; we"ve not had them for such a long time, and I"ve got my four pennies and a halfpenny--that"ll get six, you know, in case any"s brokened."
Miss Earnshaw looked at her and then began to laugh.
"Miss Peggy dear, you must tell me first what you mean," she said. "Your thoughts come so fast that they run ahead of your words. What is it you mean to get six of--not buns?"
"Buns!" repeated Peggy. "You can"t blow bubbles with buns. No, of course I meant pipes. Nice white pipes to blow soap-bubbles."
"Oh, to be sure," said Miss Earnshaw. "That"s a very good idea, Miss Peggy, in case to-morrow afternoon"s wet, and I shouldn"t wonder if it was."
"And you"ll ask f.a.n.n.y?"
"Of course; you can ask her yourself for that matter. I"m sure she"s the last to grudge you anything that"d please you and the young gentlemen.
And even if soap-bubbles are rather messy sometimes, it"s easy to wipe up. It"s not like anything dirty."
"Soap must be clean, mustn"t it?" said Peggy, laughing. "But don"t tell the boys, pelease, dear Miss Earnshaw. I do so want to "apprise them. I can get the pipes to-morrow morning. I know where to get them," and quite happy, Peggy trotted off to take out her money-box and look to be quite sure that the three pennies and three halfpennies were there in safety, where for some weeks they had been waiting.
"Bless her heart," said the young dressmaker. "She is the sweetest little innocent darling that ever lived."
After looking over her pennies Peggy turned to the window. No, none of the Smileys were to be seen.
"Never mind," said Peggy to herself. "I"ll p"raps see them to-morrow when I go for the pipes. I almost hope it"ll be a wet day. It will be so nice to blow soap-bubbles. Only," and she sighed a little, "it does seem such a very long time since I sawed the white cottage."
To-morrow _was_ rainy, very rainy, with no look of "going to clear up"
about it. The boys grumbled a good deal at breakfast at the doleful prospect of a dull half-holiday in the house.
"And papa"s going away to-day till Monday," said Thorold; "so there"ll be no going down to the dining-room to sit beside him while he"s at dinner for a change."
"Poor papa," said Peggy, "he"ll get very wet going such a long way."
"Nonsense, you little goose," said Thor, crossly. "People don"t get wet in cabs and railway carriages."
"I forgot," said Peggy, meekly.
"You shouldn"t call her a goose, Thor," said Terence. "It"s very disagreeable to travel on a very rainy day. I"ve often heard people say so."
"I wish I was going to travel, rainy or not, I know that," grumbled Thorold. "Here we shall be mewed up in this stupid nursery all the afternoon with nothing to do."
"There"s lots of things to do," said Baldwin. "I think I"ll write a letter to mamma for one thing. And I want to tidy my treasure-box and----"
"You"re a stupid," said Thorold. "You"re too fat and slow to have any spirit in you."
"Now, Thorold, I say that"s not fair," said Terry.
"Would it show spirit to grumble? You"d be down upon him if he did.
There"s no pleasing you."
"_I_ know something that would please him," said Peggy, who was trembling between eagerness to tell and determination _not_ to tell her "surprise."
"What?" said Thor, rather grumpily still.
"I"m not going to tell you till you come home. And it"ll only be if it"s a rainy afternoon," said Peggy.
Terence and Baldwin p.r.i.c.ked up their ears.
"Oh, do tell us, Peg-top," they said.
But the little girl shook her head.
"No, no," she replied. "I"ve promised myself--_quite_ promised not."
"There"s a reason for you," said Thor. But his tone was more good-natured now. He felt ashamed of being so cross when the little ones were so kind and bright.
"I"ll really, _truly_ tell you when you come back from school," said Peggy, and with this a.s.surance the boys had to content themselves.
Miss Earnshaw arrived as usual, or rather not as usual, for she was dripping, poor thing, and had to leave her waterproof downstairs in the kitchen.
"What weather, Miss Peggy," she said, as she came in. "I thought it would be a wet day, but not such a pour. It is unfortunate that I have to go so far to-day, isn"t it? And I"m sorry to leave you children alone too."
"Never mind," said Peggy, cheerily; "we"ll be quite happy with the soap bubbles. I"ve got my money quite ready. Mayn"t I go and get the pipes now?"
"Out, my dear? In such weather!" exclaimed Miss Earnshaw.
"Oh, but it"s _quite_ near," said Peggy. "Just hop out of the door and you"re there. The boys always buy their pipes there, and mamma goes there herself sometimes to see the old woman."
"Well, wait a bit, any way. It can"t go on raining as fast as this all the morning surely. It"s real cats and dogs."
Peggy looked up in surprise.