"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; "Jappy's always said so. I wish we'd been there, too!""We didn't want anybody but Jappy," said Joel not very politely.
"Oh Joey, for shame!" cried Polly.
"Jappy 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. Pepp~r joined in heartily till the room got very merry with the glee and enthusiasm called forth; so much so, that nobody heard Mrs. Whitney knock gently at the door, and nobody 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 Dick 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 Dicky, 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. "Imust 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.
