“Scarlet fever, my love, raging around Cedarwood, and slaying as many as King Herod himself. Of course, we can’t think of such a thing as going there. What, expose little Leonard to such an infection? Suppose he was to catch the fever? and—the very idea makes me shudder! We’ll stay home; we’ll stay home, my children!” said the old man, emphatically, settling himself once more to his newspaper. And, indeed, he was not sorry to have a good excuse for relinquishing the journey to Washington, which at this inclement season of the year could have no attraction for him. “But if the ladies wish to go to the city, we can take apartments at one of the hotels,” suggested Dick. General Lyon looked uneasy. He did not wish to go to Washington on any terms in such bad weather. He would have gone to Cedarwood, only to keep his word with Drusilla; but missing that, he did not want to go to a hotel. And now he was afraid of being outvoted. Anna, however, came to his relief. “Take apartments? No, I thank you, Dick! We would all like to go to Cedarwood and see Drusilla’s ‘pretty little wildwood home’ so near the city but, if we cannot go there, we will not pen ourselves up in a crowded hotel or boarding-house.” “No; _that_ we won’t!” put in the General. “And I’m sure Drusilla thinks with us,” added Anna. “Indeed I do,” acknowledged Drusa. “So you see you are outvoted, my dear boy,” chuckled the General. “Oh, as to myself,” said Dick, “I know when I’m well off, and I had a great deal rather stay here. It was for the ladies’ sake I spoke.” “Then here we stay for the present, my children.” “And so I must write and tell my housekeeper that she must cover up the furniture and close the rooms for the winter, as we are not going to Washington this season. But, my dear uncle, I hope we shall go early in the spring.” “We shall go on the very first favorable opportunity, my dear, you may rely on that,” answered the veteran. And then the sight of Drusilla’s unopened packet of foreign letters suggested a plan that he immediately proposed. “And I’ll tell you what, my dears,” he said, “we have none of us seen Europe yet. Anna and Dick were to have gone there for a wedding tour, but they would not go so far away from the old man.” “We should not have enjoyed the trip, dear grandpa, if you had not been with us. Neither I nor Dick cared to go to Europe until we could all go together.” “Then, please Providence, we will go all together next spring,” said the General, looking around upon his young people. “What do you say, Anna?” “We shall both be delighted,” answered Anna for herself and her husband, who immediately endorsed her reply. “And you, Drusilla, shall you like to go to Europe?” inquired the General. “Of all things! I have so long wished to see the old historical world!” she answered, pausing in her work of opening her foreign packet.