Page:The Story of the Treasure Seekers.djvu/342

292 I said, "Hear, hear," and Alice whispered, "What happened to the guinea-pig?" Of course you know the answer to that.

The Uncle went on&mdash;

"I am going to live in this house, and as it's rather big for me, your Father has agreed that he and you shall come and live with me. And so, if you're agreeable, we're all going to live here together, and, please God, it'll be a happy home for us all. Eh!&mdash;what?"

He blew his nose and kissed us all round. As it was Christmas I did not mind, though I am much too old for it on other dates. Then he said, "Thank you all very much for your presents; but I've got a present here I value more than anything else I have."

I thought it was not quite polite of him to say so, till I saw that what he valued so much was a threepenny bit on his watch-chain, and, of course, I saw it must be the one we had given him.

He said, "You children gave me that when you thought I was the poor Indian, and I'll keep it as long as I live. And I've asked some friends to help us to be jolly, for this is our house-warming. Eh!&mdash;what?"

Then he shook Father by the hand, and they blew their noses; and then Father said, "Your Uncle has been most kind&mdash;most&mdash;&mdash;"