to
respond to my own remonstrances with myself, and tears were slowly
gathering in a cloud of gloom when a blue gingham, rompers-clad sunbeam
burst into the room.

"Git your night-gown and your toothbresh quick, Molly, if you want to
pack 'em in my trunk!" he exclaimed with his eyes dancing and a curl
standing straight up on the top of his head, as it has a habit of doing
when he is most excited. "You can't take nothing but them 'cause I'm
going to put in a rope to tie the whale with when I ketch him, and
it'll take up all the rest of the room. Git 'em quick!"

"Yes, lover, I'll get them for you, but tell Molly where it is you are
going to sail off with her in that trunk of yours?" I asked, dropping
into the game as I have always done with him, no matter what game of my
own pressed when he called.

"On the ocean where the boats go 'cross and run right over a whale.
Don't you remember you showed me them pictures of spout whales in a
book, Molly? Doc says they comes right up by the ship and you can hear
'em shoot water and maybe a iceberg, too. Which do you want to ketch
most, Molly, a iceberg or a whale?" His eager eyes demanded instant
decision on my part of the nature of capture I preferred. My mind
quickly reverted to those two ponderous and intense epistles I had got
within the hour and I lay back in my chair and laughed until I felt
almost merry.

"The iceberg, Billy, every time," I said at last. "I just can't manage
whales, especially if they are ardent, which word means hot. I like
_icebergs_, or I think I should if I could catch one."

"I don't believe you could, Molly, but maybe Doc will let you put a rope
and a long hook in his trunk to try with if your clothes go into mine.
His is a heap the biggest anyway and Nurse Tilly said he oughter put my
things in his, but I cried and then he went up-stairs and got out that
little one for me. Come see 'em!"

"What do you mean, Billy?" I asked, while a sudden fear shot all over me
like lightning. "You're just playing go-away, aren't you?"

"No, I ain't playing, Molly!" he exclaimed excitedly. "Me and you and
Doc is a-going across the ocean for a long, long time away from here.
Doc ast me about it this morning and I told him all right and you could
come with us, if you was good. He said couldn't I go without you if you
was busy and couldn't come and I told him you would put things down and
come if I said so. Won't you, Molly? It won't be no fun without you and
y