“And the dogs?” prompted Marjorie.

“Oh, the dogs—­they howl and yowl and growl all the time.  I think I’ll have to bring the whole crowd of animals up here.  They’re so anxious to see you.”

“Do, Uncle Steve.  I’d be glad to see them, and I’m sure they’d behave nicely.”

“I think so.  The cow could sit in that little rocking-chair, and the three horses could sit on the couch, side by side.  And then we could all have afternoon tea.”

Marjorie shook with laughter at the thought of the cow sitting up and drinking afternoon tea, until Uncle Steve declared that if she laughed so hard she’d sprain her other ankle.  So he said he would read to her, and selecting a book of fairy tales, he read aloud all the rest of the afternoon.  It was delightful to hear Uncle Steve read, for he would stop now and then to discuss the story, or he would put in some funny little jokes of his own, and he made it all so amusing and entertaining that the afternoon flew by as if on wings.

Then Jane came again with the pretty tray of supper, and after that Grandma and Marjorie had a nice little twilight talk, and then the little girl was tucked up for the night, and soon fell asleep.

When she woke the next morning and lay quietly in bed thinking over of the events of the day before, she came to the conclusion that everybody had been very kind to her, but that she couldn’t expect so much attention every day.  So she made up her mind that when she had to spend hours alone, she would try to be good and patient and not trouble Grandma more than she could help.

Then she thought of the written list her mother had given her.  She smiled to think how easy it was now to keep those commands.  “Of course,” she thought, “I can keep my hands clean and my hair tidy here, for Grandma looks after that herself; and, of course, I can’t help obeying her while I’m here, for she doesn’t command me to do anything, and I couldn’t do it if she did.”

Molly came again that morning, and as Grandma had asked her to stay to dinner with Marjorie, the girls prepared for a good morning’s play.

It was astonishing how many lovely things there were to play, even when one of the players couldn’t move about.

Molly had brought over her paper-doll’s house, and as it was quite different from anything Marjorie had ever seen before, she wondered if she couldn’t make one for herself, and so double the fun of the game.

Grandma was consulted, but it was Uncle Steve who brought them the necessary materials to carry out their plan.

A paper-doll’s house is quite different from the other kind of a doll’s house, and Molly’s was made of a large blankbook.

So Uncle Steve brought a blankbook almost exactly like it for Marjorie, and then he brought her scissors, and paste, and several catalogues which had come from the great shops in the city.  He brought, too, a pile of magazines and papers, which were crammed full of illustrated advertisements.