Great excitement prevailed, and great plans were made. Evan and Ivor sat for a long time in very serious consultation, and nurse was coaxed to take them all into Windsor, that they might look at the shops "for suggestions," Barbara said, in her wise, motherly little way. "Not that I am going to spend mine all in a hurry," she added, "for that would be silly. I should not have half the pleasure; but we will go to look about." So they went to Windsor, Lucia accompanying them, doing some shopping on her own account, while nurse wandered round with her five children, and gave her advice pretty freely as to what in her opinion would be nice to buy. "Not that I should spend it at all," she concluded; "I should put it in the bank if I had it to do!" When, therefore, Evan and Ivor went home without having made any purchase, or even gone into raptures over anything in particular, she congratulated herself on their having taken her advice, and decided that they were more sensible than she had given them the credit of being. However, going suddenly into the little drawing room that evening, she found them both deeply buried in conversation; and they started up with great precipitation, and said, "Hulloa! Nurse, we're talking secrets; don't you come listening now." "I'm not listening," said nurse; "but it is bedtime. That's what I've come to say. I couldn't find you anywhere." She waited for them to pass out before her, and the boys could do nothing but obey, though they felt they had not half talked the matter over, upon which they had been so busily engaged when she interrupted them. "We can talk in bed," whispered Ivor. But Evan shook his head. Talking in bed was strictly forbidden, so that Evan, who was an obedient little boy, never thought of such a thing being possible. "What are you going to spend yours on, Ivor?" asked May, who was in the nursery, sitting by the window. "We have not decided," answered Evan a little sharply. May looked surprised at his tone, and said eagerly, "You've never asked what I am going to get—something that will do for us all! I would not say a word till Lucia said we might, and she was so long in that shop that I could not ask her. But she likes it very much, and you can't possibly guess what it is." "I don't particularly want to," said Evan, full of his own plans, and not interested in hers. "It's sure to be some girl's stuff or other; nothing that boys care about." Barbara laughed gleefully. "Much he knows, does he, May?" she said. May looked disappointed, and Evan began to be more sympathetic. "Well, you can tell us," he condescended at last; "and then we'll see if we think it nice." But May shook her head now, and would not say.