Chapter 8 Daisy's Ball.
One day the boys were all sitting around just waiting for something to happen when an invitation came from Daisy.
Mrs Shakespeare-Smith would like to have Mr John Brooke Demi, Mr Thomas Banks Tommy and Mr Nathaniel Blake Nat come to her ball at three o'clock today.
P.S.
Nat must bring his fiddle so we can dance, and all the boys must behave or they cannot have the goodies we've cooked.
After a careful inspection of the paper, Tommy said, The girls have been cooking lots of goodies.
I've smelled them.
Why don't we go?
I've never been to a ball.
What do you do?
Nat asked.
Oh, we'll just play at being gentlemen and dance to please the girls.
Then we can eat the goodies, Tommy said.
I'll write and say that we'll come, Demi replied and quickly jotted down.
We will all come.
Please have lots to eat.
J.B.
Esquire Meanwhile, Daisy and Nan were nervously buzzing about the nursery, preparing for the ball.
Demi and Nat will be good, I know they will, but Tommy will do something bad.
He always does, even though he doesn't mean to, Nan said.
Daisy set the table and looked around at all the treats they had prepared in her little kitchen.
I shall send him away if he does, and will never ask him again.
When the table was finished, both girls got into their costumes.
As the lady of the house, Daisy's outfit was plain, only a red nightcap with a bow to cover her head.
Nan wore a wreath of artificial flowers, a pair of old pink slippers, a yellow scarf, a green muslin skirt and a fan made of feathers from the duster.
She said, I'm more dressed up because I'm the daughter and you're the mother.
I'll dance and talk more than you.
The mothers only get the tea and have to be proper.
Just then, a loud knock on the nursery door signaled that it was time for the party to begin.
The door opened and there stood the boys wearing paper collars, tall black hats and unmatched gloves of every color and material.
Good day, ma'am, Dimmie said in a very low voice that was hard to keep without hurting his throat.
Everyone shook hands and then sat down, looking so serious that the boys broke out in laughter.
Please don't, Daisy said.
Nan added.
You shall never come again if you keep laughing at us.
Tommy giggled.
I can't help it.
You look so funny.
So do you, Nan replied, but I won't be so rude as to say so.
You'll have to leave if you can't be nice, right, Daisy?
Wanting to keep the peace.
Daisy said to Nat Why don't you get your fiddle and we'll have our dance now?
The boys protested and asked to have dinner first, hoping to be able to leave before the dancing began.
But they had no such luck.
As Nat played.
The two couples did the best they could, with the girls tripping over their costumes and the boys taking the wrong step more often than the right one.
When they were all out of breath, the group sat back down at the table and Daisy served everyone molasses and water.
Tommy helped himself to nine cups.
Now, you need to ask Nan to sing, Daisy whispered to Demi.
He cleared his throat, dropped his voice, and said politely, How about a song?
Nan sprung up to action and promptly sang three pretty songs for the boys, who clapped with great energy when she finished.
Now we shall have the meal, Daisy said as she proudly served up the custard she had made.
It was so runny that they ended up having to drink it.
Then it was time for the final course, raisin tarts.
Only they were missing.
You've got them, Tommy, I know you do, Nan said.
I haven't?
I can see them in your pockets, she shouted.
Come on, let's give them back, Demi said.
But Tommy wouldn't have it.
It was too much fun to keep them.
Nat, who had been enjoying himself a great deal, pounced forward and started to chase Tommy around the room.
Soon there were pieces of tart flying every which way.
Daisy started to cry as Nat and Demi finally caught a laughing Tommy and threw him out of the nursery.
I guess we had better go, Demi said.
Perhaps we had, Nat added.
The boys were not quite out of the nursery before Joe arrived.
The girls poured out the story of the ruined ball.
No more balls for these boys until they have made it up to you, she said as she shook her head at the boys.
But we were just having fun, Demi said.
But you shouldn't have fun at other people's expense.
And it's not nice to tease the girls after they went to so much trouble to throw you a party, Joe added.
Daisy is such a good sister to you.
I had hoped you would be kinder to her.
Demi pouted.
Boys always tease their sisters.
Tommy says so.
Joe looked stern.
I don't want you to tease Daisy.
If you can't play nicely with her, I'll send her home.
Demi did not want to be parted from Daisy, so he put his arm around his sister's shoulder and apologized.
I'm sorry too, Nat said.
I'm not, Tommy shouted from the other side of the door.
Jo wanted very much to laugh, but she kept a straight face.
You boys can go now, but you will not be allowed to have any more balls.
In fact, you're to keep entirely away from the girls until I say so.
Over the next few days.
The boys pretended not to care about their punishment, but they soon missed the company of Nan and Daisy.
Even Jo was keeping her distance to truly make the point.
When they could stand it no longer, they asked Father Bear for help.
Jo had given her husband an idea of what to say, and he encouraged the boys to make it up to the girls in one particular way.
The boys locked themselves away in a room for several hours, while the curious girls tried to look through the windows.
Nan almost got her nose caught in the doors.
They tried to find out what the boys were doing.
When Nat and Tommy went off with a very large package wrapped in newspaper, the girls' curiosity almost got the best of them.
They simply had to know what was in the package.
They tried everything to get the boys to tell them, but they kept quiet.
Later on that afternoon, Demi came into Joe's parlor with his cap in his hand.
"'Aunt Jo,' he said, "'would you and the girls please come out to a surprise party we have made for you?'
Joe smiled and said, "'Thank you.
I would love to come.'
"'The wagon's all ready for the girls, and you won't mind walking up to Pennyroyal Hill, will you?'
Joe said, "'I should like it very much, but are you sure I won't be in the way?'
Demi said proudly, we want you to come, most of all.
He quickly ran back outside to tell the other boys, who were all hiding, that the girls would soon be on their way.
The girls rushed about collecting their hats and five minutes later they were all tucked into the little wagon that Toby pulled behind him.
The boys had even dressed him up in a feather duster and attached flags to the wagon.
Franz, who was driving the wagon, made sure they found the exact spot where the boys had set up the party.
When the girls arrived at the top of the hill, they couldn't see the boys anywhere.
In a matter of seconds the boys came out from behind the rocks carrying beautiful new kites which they gave to the girls.
Daisy and Nan squealed in delight.
But that's not all Tommy, shouted as he ran behind the rock again and returned with both Father Bear and another kite they had made for Mother Jo.
Soon the boys were showing the girls how to fly their kites, and all the merry little contraptions floated on the wind.
They had a marvelous afternoon.
They played and laughed until dinner time, when they made their way back down the hill to Plumfield.
All was right again between the girls and the boys, who had finally been forgiven for ruining the ball.
