At least, that is what I think; but what
do you say?"

This time Drusie had been heard with as much attention as she could
wish for. The matter really was a very serious one. In two days' time
it would be the twins'--Hal and Drusie's--birthday; and ever since they
had been big enough to throw straight, they had always celebrated this
double birthday with a big battle, followed by a feast in the
summer-house. Hal had always defended the fort, while Drusie led the
attacking party; and this year they had expected to have a really
splendid fight, for during the past fortnight they had spent all their
spare time in making ammunition, and the supply of cannon balls was
larger than ever before.

But if Hal was not going to take part in the fight, all these
preparations would be thrown away. It was really very difficult to
know what he would or would not do, for he was so altered by his one
term at school that he hardly seemed like the same boy. He did not
tease or bully them, but he simply took as little notice as possible,
and spoke to them in a lofty, superior sort of way, as though he were a
very grown-up person and they very little children. Sometimes,
however, he quite forgot to be dignified and condescending, and then
Drusie hoped he meant to take part in the birthday fight as usual. And
the awkward part of it was that Drusie could not ask him his
intentions, as it was against their rules to say one word to him about
the fight until the very day on which it was to take place.

"I suppose," said Helen, with a scornful little sniff, "he has grown
too grand to fight. He would call it baby-play."

"What about the feast?" asked Jim. "Weren't you going to say something
about that too, Drusie?"

"Oh yes," she said; and after she had drunk a little more water she
rose to her feet again. The chairman was always supposed to finish the
glass of water, and that was a part of her duties that Drusie did not
much relish when the meeting was held before breakfast. Under pretence
of moving it out of her way, Jim drew the tumbler towards him, and when
she was not looking he filled it up from a jug which he had hidden
under the table the evening before.

"The feast," she said earnestly, "is going to be a specially nice one.
I am making all the wine myself, and I taste it ever so many times a
day to see if it is still good. I won't tell you everything that is in
it; but you can guess how lovely it will be when I say that