We were going to get Mother a new hat too, but it turned out that she seemed to really like her old
grey bonnet better than a new one, and both the girls said that it was awfully becoming to her.
Well, after breakfast we had it arranged as a surprise for Mother that we would hire a motor
car and take her for a beautiful drive away into the country. Mother is hardly ever able to have a treat
like that, because we can only afford to keep one maid, and so Mother is busy in the house nearly all
the time.
But on the very morning of the day we changed the plan a little bit, because it occurred to
32 Xmas [krIsmqs]: an abbreviated form of Christmas. In England Christmas day (the 25th of December) is one of the biggest
holidays, devoted especially to family reunion and merry-making with its traditional Christmas tree and Christmas pudding.
33 mantelpiece: a structure of brick, wood or marble above and around a fire-place —an open grate where a coal fire burns. Most
old English houses have no central heating. Up to now a great number of flats are warmed by coal fires. Sometimes instead of a coal
fire a gas fire or an electric fire may be used, which is more convenient, as it can be lit in a second and turned off as soon as it is not
needed.
Father that a thing it would be better to do even than to take Mother for a motor drive would be to
take her fishing; if you are going to fish, there is a definite purpose in front of you to heighten the
enjoyment.
So we all felt that it would be nicer for Mother to have a definite purpose; and anyway, it
turned out that Father had just got a new rod the day before.
So we got everything arranged for the trip, and we got Mother to cut up some sandwiches34
and make up a sort of lunch in case we got hungry, though of course we were to come back home
again to a big dinner in the middle of the day, just like Xmas or New Year's Day. Mother packed it all
up in a basket for us ready to go in the motor.
Well, when the car came to the door, it turned out that there hardly seemed as much room in
it as we had supposed.
Father said not to mind him, he said that he could just as well stay home; and that he was
sure that he could put in the time working in the garden; he said that we were not to let the fact of his
not having had a real holiday for three years stand in our way; he wanted us to go right ahead and be
happy and have a big day.
But of course we all felt that it would never do to let Father stay home, especially as we knew
he would make trouble if he did. The two girls, Anne and Mary, would gladly have stayed and