When the invitation was brought by Mr. Vanderveer in person, he asked if
Lavinia Dorman and I would not like to come up also and see the children
play, adding that I need feel no responsibility about the boys, as he was
going to be at home and give himself up to seeing that the "kids" had a
jolly time, and got into no scrapes.
We agreed that it would be amusing to go up with the children, stay a
little while to be sure that they could adapt themselves, and then leave;
for if there is anything dampening to the ardour of children at play it
is a group of elders with minds divided between admiration and
correction, punctuating unwise remarks upon beauty and cleverness with
"Maud, you are overheated." "Tommy, don't! Use your handkerchief!"
"Billy, your stocking is coming down!" "Reggie, you must wait, girls
should be helped first."
The boys certainly looked comfortably and humanly handsome in their white
cheviot sailor suits, loose blue ties, black stockings and pumps. They
really are good-looking children. Lavinia Dorman, who is candour itself,
says so. I suppose people think that my opinion does not count, and that
I should consider them perfect if they were of the human chipmunk
variety. But I am sure I am not prejudiced, for I do _not_ think them
perfect, only well made and promising, thus having the two first
requisites of all young animals.
When we arrived at the Vanderveers a little late, owing to the fact of
father's having been obliged to use our horse for a hurry call, the party
had "gathered," to use an old-fashioned expression, and I saw that
Richard and Ian were by several years the youngest of the group of thirty
or more, the others ranging from eight to thirteen or fourteen.
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