The next morning the Popovers were up early. They were so excited it is a wonder that they slept a wink the night before. They were all happy at the thought of moving downstairs, except Velvetina.
Velvetina sat on the floor crying, dropping tears all over the front of her pretty pink dress. 'I don't want to leave Peanut,' sobbed Velvetina. 'I don't want to leave Peanut up here all alone.'
'But Peanut will come downstairs and see you. Won't you, Peanut?' asked Mrs. Popover of the little mouse.
For Peanut had come creeping out of his hole that morning as soon as he heard the Popovers stirring. He was as sorry as Velvetina to have his good friends move downstairs. But he winked his black eyes and twitched his whiskers to keep from crying, and with his little paw gently wiped away Velvetina's tears.
'I will come downstairs to see you very often' he whispered. ' And we will have rides together, you and I'
'I thought you said yesterday, Velvetina, that you wanted a little girl to play with you,' said Mr. Popover.
'I did,' answered Velvetina, rubbing her eyes, 'but I like Peanut better than the little girl. I know I do.'
'Don't speak that way, Velvetina,' said Mrs. Popover firmly. 'If Ellen is anything like her Aunt Amelia, she will make it very pleasant for us downstairs.'
Mrs. Popover had no time to say more. There was a sound from below. Whisk! and Peanut was out of sight, the Popovers were still, and when the little girl Ellen and Mr. Green, whose other name was Uncle Henry, reached the top of the stairs, the attic was as quiet as an attic could be.
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'Mrs. Popover, don't you love your little house?'
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'I will carry the dollies, Uncle Henry' said Ellen, hopping about, too happy to walk.
So Ellen carefully gathered up Mrs. Popover and Velvetina and Mr. Popover and the Baby, whom she thoughtfully left lying in his cradle, and with her arms full started down the stairs. Velvetina was no longer crying. Her face wore its usual smile, for over Ellen's shoulder she had caught sight of Peanut's little paw waving a cheerful good-bye.
Uncle Henry tipped and tilted the Little Red Doll House over to the head of the stairs. Then bump, bump, bump, down the stairs came the Little Doll House.
Crash! Crash!
'Oh, my furniture!' thought Mrs. Popover. 'It will be broken to bits.'
Tinkle! Tinkle! Tinkle!
' Oh, my dishes ! My pots and pans ! ' thought Mrs. Popover again. 'They should have been carried down by hand.'
If Uncle Henry had only asked Mrs. Popover, she could have told him just how to go about moving the house. For Mrs. Popover was an old-fashioned housekeeper who believed that what is worth doing at all is worth doing well.
But of course Uncle Henry never thought of asking Mrs. Popover, and so the Little House was jolted and tumbled along until it was set against the wall in the room that had once been little Amelia's play-room and was now to be Ellen's, as long as her visit to her aunt and uncle lasted.
Mrs. Popover was almost afraid to look inside her house for fear of the damage she might see. But though everything was topsy-turvy and not a single piece of furniture was in its proper place, nothing was broken. And Mrs. Popover forgot her fears in seeing Ellen's delight in the Little Doll House and all that it held.
'Here is the bedroom,' said Ellen, talking aloud in her pleasure, 'with a big gold bed for Mr. and Mrs. Popover and a little bed for Velvetina and a cradle for the Baby. Rockaby,
rockaby,' sang Ellen to Baby Popover, swinging him gently to and fro.
You see she already knew the names of the Popover family. Aunt Amelia had told her all about them the night before.
'Here is a bureau and a long mirror and a rocking-chair. And a rug on the floor too. It is as nice a bedroom as Aunt Amelia's or Mother's at home,' said Ellen, setting the little room in order as neatly as Mrs. Popover herself could have done.
'Here is the living-room,' went on Ellen. She did not know that Mrs. Popover called it her parlor. 'Here is a piano that will play. Tinkle-linkle-link! And chairs and a sofa and a little lamp and a bookcase with really-truly books in it, as tiny as can be. Everything is just like a real house. There are pictures on the walls too. Oh, Mrs. Popover, don't you love your little house? I do!'
Mrs. Popover longed to answer, 'Yes, I do
Soon Ellen had given Baby Popover a bath in a little tub that she found in the oven of the stove, and had played that the Popovers had cooked and eaten their dinner. 'Perhaps you would like to go out for a ride.' asked Ellen
Aunt Amelia must have been careful of her toys when she was a little girl. For Caroline brought up from the cellar a small wooden wagon on two wheels, with a long wooden handle, that was just the thing in which the Popovers might go riding.
So into the garden they went, and were nicely seated in the wagon with a cushion at their backs and a little shawl tucked neatly over their legs. Then the ride began. Ellen ran round and round the garden paths as fast as she could run, with the little wagon bumping along behind.
At first the Popovers enjoyed the sun and the fresh air and the whirling round and round. But soon Velvetina fell forward and bumped her nose. And Mr. Popover slid down flat on his back under the shawl and was nearly smothered for lack of air. Mrs. Popover was so jounced about that she couldn't breathe. But she scarcely noticed her lack of breath because she was worried about the Baby. She was afraid he would have colic because of taking such a violent ride so soon after eating. As for the Baby, nothing but his cap kept his head on his body.
So every one but Ellen was glad when Caroline beckoned her into the house to wash her hands before luncheon.
'I will just put the Popovers to bed' called Ellen.
Very carefully the Popovers were tucked in bed and tenderly bade good-bye for the day.
'I can't play with you this afternoon' said Ellen. 'I am going out somewhere with Aunt Amelia.'
And, do you know, the Popovers were so tired that they slept all the afternoon. They were not used to leading such a exciting life, you see.
That night, when the play-room was dark, there came a scratch, scratch, scratching in the wall.
' Mother,' called Velvetina in a loud glad whisper, ' it is Peanut! I know it is! '
Peanut it was, and oh! how glad the Popovers were to see their little friend again. After all, it was quite a change from the attic to the play-room and the Popovers couldn't help feeling a little strange.
Peanut wanted to know all that had happened to them that day.
'Do you like it downstairs?' he asked, when they had finished telling him what they had done. 'Do you like it down here better than you did in the attic?'
Mr. Popover was the first to answer.
'My legs grew very stiff when we were out riding to-day,' said he, shaking his head, 'but I think the change will be good for us all.'
'It is a very exciting life,' said little Mrs. Popover, 'and I shall like it for a time if it agrees with the children. But it is a mercy that Loo-Loo didn't have colic on that ride this morning.'
'Do you like it, Velvetina?' asked Peanut. And he was more pleased than words can tell when Velvetina answered,
'Yes, Peanut, I like it down here, and I like Ellen, too. But, oh, Peanut, I like you best of all.'
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