Opportunity came a little later when they met in the kitchen.
Phyllis repeated her numerous conversations, and Janet told her that
Mrs. Todd had guessed.
"But she has promised not to say anything," she added.
"Good; don't let's change even for dinner. I believe we could fool
Tommy and Auntie Mogs all evening," Phyllis chuckled.
"It's lots of fun being you," Janet whispered, as they went back into
the dining-room.
"Well, I love being you; it makes me wish I really were," Phyllis
answered.
Dinner passed without their game being discovered, though their
occasional fits of laughter mystified Tommy and Auntie Mogs. They
might have gotten safely to bed without their knowing if it hadn't
been for Boru and Galahad.
They came out into the garden after dinner, pretending not to notice
each other, for although Tom had succeeded in making them eat from
the same dish, they were by no means friends.
Janet and Phyllis were walking up and down the center path. Sir
Galahad purred softly and looked up at his mistress. Phyllis leaned
down and picked him up in her aims. Janet let her hand rest on
Boru's head.
Tom came out of the house just as they made a tableau by the old
sundial.
At first he did not notice anything odd, but after a minute he said:
"There's something wrong with the picture. I think it's your
dresses. They don't match your animals. Hold on a minute. I've got
it!" he exclaimed. "You've swapped clothes."
"And you just found it out," Phyllis teased.
Tom studied them for a minute and shook his head solemnly.
"It's no wonder either; you are as alike as two peas in a pod, except
for the way you talk. What a lot of larks you will be able to have,
but I shouldn't wonder if you found it embarrassing when you got a
little older. Perhaps I had better brand you with your initials," he
suggested--then he added slowly, "Yes, I think on the whole it would
be a lot better for all concerned if I did."
CHAPTER XX
GOOD-BY
One morning at the close of the visit Mrs. Page sent for Janet to
come to her. When she was seated in the chair by the bed, the old
lady looked at her for a long time before she said anything. When
she did speak, it was to ask a startling question.
"Janet, do you love me?" she inquired shortly.
Janet stared at her in surprise.
"Well, do you or don't you?" Mrs. Page demanded.
"Why, grandmother, of course I do," Janet replied quickly.
"Why?"
"Because you have always been kind to me and taken care of me, I
suppose," Janet said doubtfully.
"Is that the only reason?"
"N-no, I love you because you are my grandmother."
"Do you love me as much as you do your Aunt Marjorie?"
"Of course, but--"
"But what!"
"In a different way."
"What do you mean by different way?"
"Why, I hardly know how to put it into words,"--Janet hesitated. "I
love to be with Auntie Mogs and I like to have her put her arm around
me and kiss me."
"I see," Mrs. Page spoke dryly, and laughed a short unpleasant laugh.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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