gloomily.

"Well, you won't have stood still yourselves, you know."

"No, but that's just the worst of it. We'll all be different and
everything will be changed."

"Just think," said Cecily, "last New Year's Eve we were wondering
what would happen this year; and what a lot of things have
happened that we never expected. Oh, dear!"

"If things never happened life would be pretty dull," said the
Story Girl briskly. "Oh, don't look so dismal, all of you."

"It's hard to be cheerful when everybody's going away," sighed
Cecily.

"Well, let's pretend to be, anyway," insisted the Story Girl.
"Don't let's think of parting. Let's think instead of how much
we've laughed this last year or so. I'm sure I shall never forget
this dear old place. We've had so many good times here."

"And some bad times, too," reminded Felix.

"Remember when Dan et the bad berries last summer?"

"And the time we were so scared over that bell ringing in the
house," grinned Peter.

"And the Judgment Day," added Dan.