Page:The Story of the Treasure Seekers.djvu/316

270 "No more do we," said H. O., "but we shall to-morrow."

I thought of all the things we had bought with our half-sovereign&mdash;the rabbit and the sweets and the almonds and raisins and figs and the cocoanut: and I thought of the nasty mutton and things, and while I was thinking about it all Alice said&mdash;

"Let's ask the poor Indian to come to dinner with us to-morrow." I should have said it myself if she had given me time.

We got the little ones to go to bed by promising to put a note on their dressing-table saying what had happened, so that they might know the first thing in the morning, or in the middle of the night if they happened to wake up, and then we elders arranged everything.

I waited by the back door, and when the Uncle was beginning to go Dicky was to drop a marble down between the banisters for a signal, so that I could run round and meet the Uncle as he came out.

This seems like deceit, but if you are a thoughtful and considerate boy you will understand that we could not go down and say to the Uncle in the hall under Father's eye, "Father has given you a beastly, nasty dinner, but if you will come to dinner with