Sheltering Mother from the Racket.

So in the end it was decided that mother would stay home and just have a lovely restful day round the house, and get the dinner. It turned out anyway that mother doesn't care for fishing, and also it was just a little bit cold and fresh out of doors, though it was sunny, and father was rather afraid that mother might take cold if she came.

He said he would never forgive himself if he dragged mother round the country and let her take a severe cold at a time when she might be having a beautiful rest. He said it was our duty to try and let mother get all the rest and quiet that she could after all that she had done for all of us, and he said that that was principally why he had fallen in with the idea of a fishing trip, so as to give mother a little quiet. He said that young people seldom realise how much quiet means to people who are getting old. As to himself, he could still stand the racket, but he was glad to shelter mother from it.

So we all drove away with three cheers for mother, and mother stood and watched us from the verandah for as long as she could see us, and father waved his hand back to her every few minutes till he hit his hand on the back edge of the car, and then said that he didn't think that mother could see us any longer.