"Well, you must both eat to-night to make up for it," said Carroll.

"I had thought you would as soon have it cold for dinner to-night,"
said Mrs. Carroll, in her soft, complaining voice. "We would not have
planned it for our noon lunch, but we were afraid to ask the butcher
for chops, too, and as long as there were no eggs for breakfast, we
felt the need of something substantial; but, of course, when that
darling boy did not come, and we had reason to think he was shot, we
could not--" Mrs. Carroll leaned weepingly against her husband, but
he put her from him gently.

"Now, Amy, dearest," said he, "I am going to find Eddy and bring him
home, and--you say Marie has gone to hunt for him?"

"Yes, she went in one direction, and Ina and Charlotte in others,"
said Anna Carroll.

"Well," said Carroll, "I will send Marie home at once, and I wish you
would see that she prepares an early dinner, and then we can go for a
drive afterwards."

"Eddy can go, too," said Mrs. Carroll, quite joyously.

"No, Amy," said Carroll, "he will most certainly not go to drive with
us. There are times when you girls must leave the boy to me, and this
is one of them." He stopped and kissed his wife's appealing face, and
went out. Then the carriage rolled swiftly round the curve of drive.

"He will whip him," said Anna to Mrs. Carroll, who looked at her with
a certain defiance.