Black, White and Gray | Page 9

no objection.
"Maisie must have a start because she's the smallest," said Dennis, placing his sister a little in front; "now, one, two, three, off!"
The little flying figures sped away towards the house, and Miss Mervyn following, was pleased to see that Dennis allowed Philippa to win the race; that would perhaps make her more good-tempered.
"Ha, ha!" exclaimed Philippa, pointing a scornful finger at Maisie as she came panting up last, with her round cheeks very red. "What a slow coach! Maisie's too fat to run."
"She's younger than we are," said Dennis, who did not allow any one but himself to tease his sister.
"There's not much difference," said Philippa, as the children walked up to the house; "in three weeks it will be my birthday, and I shall be nine."
"Mine isn't for three more months," said Maisie.
"Any one would think me quite twelve years old," said Philippa, with her chin in the air, "because I'm tall and slight. Maisie has such a baby look.--I'm going to have a party on my birthday."
"Are you?" said Maisie with sudden interest.
She gave Dennis's arm a squeeze, to make him understand she had just got a good idea; but he only stared round at her, and said, "Don't pinch so," and Philippa continued:
"Yes, I shall have a party, and a birthday cake, and magnificent presents."
"Can you guess what they will be?" asked Maisie.
"Mother says she won't tell me what hers is," said Philippa; "but I shall make her."
"How?"
"Oh," said Philippa carelessly, "if I want to know very much, I shall cry, and then I always get what I want."
Philippa was not in a nice mood to-day, and did not improve at luncheon, for her wants and whims seemed to engross every one's attention. If Aunt Katharine tried to turn the conversation to something more interesting, Philippa's whining voice broke in, and Mrs Trevor at once ceased to listen to anything else.
It was a relief to the whole party, when, early in the afternoon, Aunt Katharine and her charges were settled once more in the pony-cart, and on their way home to Fieldside.
"Don't you know why I poked you just after the race?" said Maisie to her brother, as they drove out of the lodge gates.
"Because Philippa said such stupid things, I suppose," said Dennis.
"It wasn't that at all," she replied earnestly; "it was because I'd just thought of a good home for one of the kittens. Wouldn't it be splendid to give it to Philippa for a birthday present? It will be just three weeks old."
"H'm," said Dennis doubtfully. He really thought it a capital idea, but he never liked to encourage Maisie too much.
She looked round at him, her brown eyes bright with excitement.
"It would be a magnificent home," she continued, "more than a good one. It would have nice things to eat, and soft things to lie on, and a collar round its neck, and all those beautiful rooms to run about in!"
"I suppose they'd be kind to it," said Dennis. "I don't think I should like to live at Haughton Park."
"Of course not, without Aunt Katharine agreed," said Maisie; "but supposing Haughton Park was hers, wouldn't you like it better than Fieldside?"
"No," said Dennis promptly; "not half so well. At Fieldside you've only to run down the avenue, and there you are in the middle of the village, and only a short way off the Manor Farm. And at Haughton you have to go through the Park, where no one lives, and through three gates, and then you're only in the Upwell road. It's much duller."
"There are the deer," said Maisie.
"But you can't talk to the deer," replied Dennis; "and though they're tame, they're rather stupid, I think."
"Well," said Maisie, "I like some things at Haughton very much, and I daresay the kitten will. A cat's quite different from a boy, isn't it?"
"Which shall we give?" asked Dennis, warming a little to the idea.
"The white, of course," said Maisie at once.
She spoke so decidedly, that Dennis felt she must have some good reason, though he could not see why the white should be preferred to the grey.
Maisie could not explain herself, however. She only repeated that of course the white kitten was the right one to go to Haughton, and though she generally yielded to Dennis, she remained firm in this, and by the time they reached home the matter was quite settled. The white kitten was thus provided with a good home; and though, on thinking it over, Maisie doubted whether Philippa would consider it a "magnificent present," she had no misgivings as to its future happiness.
CHAPTER THREE.
OLD SALLY'S ELIZA.
The time soon came when Madam was allowed to bring her kittens into the play-room, where they lived in a basket near the French window, through which she could go in and