"Well, my chick-a-biddies," he said, in a delightfully genial voice,
beaming upon them all with the kindest blue eyes Mollie had ever
seen, "and what has everybody been doing? And where is Grizzel?"

As he spoke he lifted Baby into his arms, ignoring the jammy little
fingers, laid a hand on Mollie's head, and looked round inquiringly
for his missing daughter.

"She's in my Nest," Hugh replied, "it's finished. Come and see it.
You can't climb into it yet, but it looks very nice from the
outside. I think I'll arrange a box to pull you and Mamma up in. The
zinc-lined box the piano came in would do."

"Thank you, my son," said Papa kindly, "thank you, thank you. At the
moment I am rather pressed for time. I have to meet Mamma at Mrs.
Taylor's at half-past five, and we are going to the town-hall to
hear this wonderful new telephone, as they call it. They say that
someone speaking from the post office at Glenelg will be perfectly
audible in the town-hall here, a distance of six and a half miles.
It sounds almost incredible. What will they discover next! Truly
this is an amazing age, and you children may live to see men flying
yet."

Hugh had left his gingerbread, which lay forgotten on his plate, and
stood before his father flushed with excitement:

"Take me with you, _do_, Papa," he cried. "I'll learn reams of Latin
and get up at four o'clock and--"

"Well, get your hat and be quick then," Papa interrupted