E-text prepared by Rick Niles, Charlie Kirschner,
and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team
Frances Harrison was sitting out in the garden under the treethat her husband called an ash-tree, and that the people down inher part of the country called a tree of Heaven.
It was warm under the tree, and Frances might have gone to sleepthere and wasted an hour out of the afternoon, if it hadn't beenfor the children.
Dorothy, Michael and Nicholas were going to a party, and Nickywas excited. She could hear Old Nanna talking to Michael andtelling him to be a good boy. She could hear young Mary-Nannasinging to Baby John. Baby John was too young himself to go toparties; so to make up for that he was riding furiously onMary-Nanna's knee to the tune of the "Bumpetty-Bumpetty Major!"
It was Nicky's first party. That was why he was excited.
He had asked her for the third time what it would be like; andfor the third time she had told him. There would be dancing and aMagic Lantern, and a Funny Man, and a Big White Cake covered withsugar icing and Rosalind's name on it in pink sugar letters andeight little pink wax candles burning on the top for Rosalind'sbirthday. Nicky's eyes shone as she told him.
Dorothy, who was nine years old, laughed at Nicky.
"Look at Nicky," she said, "how excited he is!"
And every time she laughed at him his mother kissed him.
"I don't care," said Nicky. "I don't care if I am becited!"
And for the fifth time he asked, "When will it be time togo?"
"Not for another hour and a half, my sweetheart."
"How long," said Nicky, "is an hour and a half?"
Frances had a tranquil nature and she never worried. But as shesat under her tree of Heaven a thought came that made a faintillusion of worry for her mind. She had forgotten to ask Grannieand Auntie Louie and Auntie Emmeline and Auntie Edie to tea.
She had come to think of them like that in relation to herchildren ra