"No, indeed," cried old Mr. King, in his most emphatic way, and bringing
his hand heavily down on the table; "not a single person shall hear about
it. This is your and my secret, Percy, my boy."
And outside, in a slope of the terrace where it ran down to a tangle of
greenery, were Phronsie and little Dick. And they were making great
preparations, too, for Rachel's visit on the following day. The great task
before them was nothing more nor less than to set up their little stone
house in the boulders under the big apple tree.
"I'm going to set up the cupboard," announced little Dick.
"Wait for me, do," begged Phronsie, who was busy in putting the little
acorn cups and saucers in fine array on the big, flat stone that served
them as a table.
"Well, do hurry, then," said Dick, his fingers twitching to be at their
work, "for it's just full of everything." He had pulled out the stone from
a hole between the boulders, which, running in quite deeply, had served as
a convenient receptacle for certain treasures and accumulations, and was
therefore called the cupboard. "We haven't cleaned it out in ever 'n' ever
so long, Phronsie."
"Yes, I will hurry," said Phronsie, gently putting the little acorn she
held back into its cup. She had a soft little bit of cloth in her hand,
with which she first wiped each piece.
"I'm almost through; I haven't but one, two, 'leven more to do.
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