That concession was something. Aunt Cathie felt another year or two younger.
Two days after this Lucia announced a plan, or, in other words, a picnic. To-morrow was going to be the second Thursday in September, when there was to be an old English autumn fair at Trew. Trew was ten miles off, but one carriage would hold them all, and the plan was a surprise. She had engaged a carriage to be at Sea View by eleven next day—this was her "treat"—and they would all go over and lunch at Trew, see the old English fair, and drive back in the evening. In fact, it was no use anybody saying she wouldn't go: she had set her heart on this, and Aunt Elizabeth needn't look bankrupt, because she hadn't understood, for the carriage was Lucia's, and she was going to take them for a nice drive. She had read the account of the projected fair to them all two days before; it was a sort of pagan harvest festival, full of folk-lore, and was tremendously picturesque. At eleven to-morrow then, please, and she and Maud would bathe before breakfast.
Aunt Cathie was intensely discouraging, but simply because she was so touched.
"Frightful extravagance," she said. "Go by train and walk at the other end."
"And who gave me a set of tennis balls?" said Lucia gently. "And who lengthened the lawn? And who got me out of an awful hole? And who is Aunt Cathie?"
This passed under cover of somewhat louder objections from Elizabeth. She supposed they would have to take cold lunch with them, and where were they to have tea? Cathie, as was her nature, found no reply to Lucia's whispers, and answered Elizabeth instead.
"It's cold lunch anyhow," she remarked, "so we take it. Tea, too. Such things as tea-baskets. I've got one. Great fun; thanks, Lucia. I wanted to see it. So does Elizabeth."
"I had meant to work to-morrow," said Elizabeth, "but I can do more the day after and make up for lost time. I hope you beat the man down, Lucia, and said you would only give him half of what he asked. I never heard of taking a carriage for the day!"
Lucia clapped her hands.
"No questions allowed," she cried. "You get into my carriage at eleven. You get out again about eight in the evening.
