its for
anything.... No, mummy darling; it shan't get cold. I can gormandize
and read aloud both at once."

But she doesn't keep her promise, for she dives straight into an
exploration ahead, and meanly says, "Just half a minute till I see
what's coming," or, "Only to the end of this sentence," and also
looks very keen and animated, and throws in short notes of exclamation
and _well_'s and _there_'s and _think of that_'s till Fenwick enters
a protest.

"Don't cheat, Sarah!" he says. "Play fair! If you won't read it aloud
yourself, let somebody else."

"There's the first sheet to keep you quiet, Jeremiah!" Who, however,
throws it over to Rosalind, who throws it back with a laugh.

"What a couple of big babies you two are!" she exclaims. "As if I
couldn't possess my soul in peace for five minutes! Do put the letter
by till you've had your breakfasts."

But this course was not approved, and the contents of Laetitia's
epistle came out by fits and jerks and starts, and may be said to have
been mixed with tea and coffee and eggs and bacon and toast. Perhaps
we had better leave these out, and give the letter intact. Here it is:

"DEAREST SALLY,

"I am going to keep my promise, and write you a long letter at
once, and tell you all about our reception at home. You will
say it wasn't worth writing, especially as you will be back on
Monday. However, a promise is a promise!

"We got to Victoria at seven, and were not so very late
considering at G. Terrace; but when we had had something to
eat I propounded my idea I told you of, that we should just go
straight on, and beard mamma in her own den, and have it out.
I knew I shouldn't sleep unless we did. Paggy said, 'Wouldn't
it do as well if he called there to-morrow for the
Strad--which we had left behind last time as a connecting-link
to go and fetch away--and me to meet him as he came from the
shop?' But surprise-tactics were better--I knew they would
be--and now Paggy admits I was right.

"Of course, Thomas stared when he saw who it was, and was
going to sneak off without announcing us, and Fossett, who
just crossed us in the passage, was perfectly comic. Pag said
afterwards she was bubbling over with undemonstrativeness,
which was clever for him. I simply said to Thomas that I
thought he had better announce us, as we weren't expected, and
he asked who he was to announce, miss! Act