"
"Does Dicky Bird guess?"
"Yes, but he's all right, as close as wax. He says he was sure no
one but ourselves could have done it, for nobody else could have
thought of such things or made them either."
"Then he has seen it?"
"Yes, and he was fit to kill himself with laughing, though his father
and old Barnes were mad with rage and fury. His father believes him,
but old Barnes believes neither of them, and swears his father shall
go."
"We shall have to split on ourselves," elegantly observed Johnny.
"We had better tell Mother Carey. Hullo! here she is, inside the
window."
"Didn't you know that," said Allen.
Therefore the boys, leaning and sprawling round her, half in and half
out of the window, told the story, the triumph overcoming all
compunction, as they described the morning raid, the successful
scaling of the park-wall, the rush across the sward, the silence of
the garden, the hoisting up of Allen to fasten on the ears, and the
wonderful charms of the figure when it wore them and held a golden
apple in its hand. "Right of Way," and "Let us in," had been written
in black on all the pedestals.
"It is a peculiar way of recommending your admission," said Caroline.
"That's Rob's doing," said Allen. "I couldn't look after him while I
was gilding the apple or I would have stopped him.
Pages:
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232