Miss Rachel found her voice at last.
“If you want anything,” she said, “stop jumping around like a pair of wild savages. Sit down on that settee, and tell me quietly, and one at a time, what it’s all about.”
“Let me tell, Dick,” said Dolly, and knowing his sister’s talent for persuasion, Dick willingly kept quiet while Dolly told.
They sat side by side on the hall settee, opposite their aunt, and scarcely dared move, while Dolly made her plea.
“You see, Auntie,” she began, “we’ve never had a garden; never even seen one made. And so, we thought, perhaps, maybe, as there’s so much spare ground lying around, we hoped maybe you’d let us each have a little garden of our own. Just a little tiny one, you know.”
“For pity’s sake,” exclaimed Miss Rachel, “is all this fuss about a garden? Why, you can have a dozen, if you like.”
“Oh, thank you, Auntie,” cried Dolly, repressing her inclination to fly over and hug her aunt, lest it be considered a “fuss.” “One’s enough, – one apiece, I mean. And what can we plant?”
“Why, plant anything you choose. Pat will give you seeds, and if he hasn’t what you want, we’ll buy some when we go driving this afternoon.”
Dick was overcome by his aunt’s kindness and whole-souled generosity. But he had no intention of making a fuss, – not he. He rose and quietly crossed the hall, and bowing low in front of the lady, said:
“Aunt Rachel, I do think you’re the very best person in the whole world!”
“So do I!” said Dolly. “Seems ’s if I must squeeze you!”
“Not now,” said Miss Rachel, smiling; “you nearly squeezed the breath out of me a few moments ago. I’ll take your enthusiasm for granted. Now, run out, and make your gardens. Tell Pat I said you’re to have whatever you want for them.”
“Hurray! Hooroo!” cried Dick, unable to repress himself longer, and throwing his cap up in the air, without having had the least intention of doing so.
It landed on the high chandelier, and Hannah had to bring the long-handled feather duster to get it down.
“Please ’scuse Dick, Aunt Rachel,” said loyal little Dolly, seeing her brother’s regretful look. “He didn’t mean to fling that cap till he got outdoors, but somehow – ”
“Somehow, it flung itself,” cried Dick; “’cause I’m so glad about the garden!”
Away they went, banging the door behind them, and Miss Rachel sat a few minutes, seriously considering whether or not she could keep such little cyclones in her hitherto quiet and well-ordered home.
“It isn’t so much what they’ve done,” she said, as she went and talked it over with Miss Abbie, “as what they may do. They’re liable to fling caps anywhere, and break all the bric-à-brac, and bang all the furniture – well, if there were any place to send them, they should go to-day.”
“You don’t mean that, Rachel,” said Miss Abbie. “They are noisy, I know, but I think we can train them to better manners; and they have dear, loving little hearts.”
“Too loving,” said the elder sister, ruefully. “They nearly felled me to the floor, the way they rushed at me. I’m not over the shock yet!”
“Well,” sighed Miss Abbie, “I suppose it’s because we’re not used to children; but they do seem especially sudden in their ways.”
CHAPTER V
A PLAYGROUND
“Sudden in their ways,” just described Dick and Dolly. After getting their aunt’s sanction, they flew back to the toolhouse, and tumbling in at the door, nearly upset Pat by their sudden dash for spades and hoes.
“She says we can!” cried Dolly; “how do you begin, Pat? What do we do first?”
“Dig, of course,” declared Dick, seizing the biggest spade he could find.
“All right; where shall we dig?”
Dolly grabbed another spade, and skipping out of the toolhouse, began to dig frantically in the path that led from the doorstep.
“Whisht! now! Miss Dolly, don’t be fer sp’ilin’ me good path!”
Pat was amiable, but the vigorous enthusiasm of these children began to appal him. He was always deferential to his employers, and he looked upon the twins as members of his employers’ family, and so he considered himself under their orders. But he also began to see that he must direct matters himself, if these impetuous youngsters were to have a real garden.
“Well,” he said, “if so be’s yer aunts has give permission, we must make the gardens fer ye. But we must do ’t dacint an’ proper. Don’t begin by diggin’ up me tidy paths.”
“I won’t, Pat; I’m sorry!” and Dolly carefully smoothed away the clefts she had dug with her spade.
“Now, we’ll consider,” said Pat, greatly interested in the plan. “First of all, where will ye be selectin’ the place?”
The twins gazed around, at the various gardens, terrace, woodland, and water, and then Dolly said, decidedly:
“In the woods; that’s the prettiest place.”
“Oh, ho!” laughed Pat. “Why, little miss, ye can’t grow things in the woods! Leastwise, only ferns an’ moss! Don’t ye want flowers, now?”
“Oh, yes; of course we do! And I forgot they have to have sunshine.”
“Goosie!” cried Dick. “Now, I think a place near the pond would be nice, and then we can fetch water easily, – for I s’pose we have to water our flowers every day, don’t we, Pat?”
“Yes; onless it rains fer ye, which it sometimes do. Now, s’pose ye let me s’lect yer place, an’ then do ye pick out yer own choice o’ flowers.”
“Do,” cried Dolly. “You know so much better than we do where a garden ought to be.”
Pat considered carefully for a few moments, casting his eye thoughtfully toward various parts of the estate.
“Come on,” he said, at last, and the children followed him, as he strode off.
Just beyond the beautifully kept terrace was a stretch of lawn, entirely open to the sunlight, save for a big horse-chestnut tree in one corner.
Here Pat paused, and indicating by a sweep of his arm a section about seventy-five feet square, he said:
“I’m thinkin’, instead of only a garden, by itself, it’d be foine for ye to make yersilves a rale playground.”
Dolly’s quick mind jumped to the possibilities.
“Oh, Pat, a playground, all for ourselves, with our two gardens in it!”
“Yes, miss; and an arbour, and seats, an’ a table, an’ – ”
But he got no further, for Dick and Dolly seized him by either hand, and jumped up and down, fairly shouting with delight.
“Oh, Pat, Pat, I never heard of anything so lovely!”
“How could you think of it? Let’s begin at once!”
“But ye must behave!” cried Pat, shaking his hands loose from their grasp, and waiting for them to stop their antics.
“Yes, yes; we’ll behave!” said Dolly, suddenly standing stock-still, and looking very; demure. “What do we do first, dig?”
“I’m thinkin’ yez better dig a whole acre, – an’ see if ye can’t work off some of yer animile sperrits! Such rampageous bein’s I niver saw!”
“We’ll be quiet, Pat,” said Dick, earnestly; “now let’s begin.”
“Well,