“Now what shall we do?” Rosemary asked when the task had been finished. She liked to keep busy all the time.
“Have you any work you would like to have us do, Mrs. Gordon?” inquired Connie politely.
“Not a thing,” the woman replied. “Just amuse yourselves.”
“May we do anything we like?” Connie asked, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“Then I have a very special request. You wont be annoyed?”
“Certainly not. What is your request, Connie?”
“While we’re here, may the Brownies search for the missing locket?”
Now the request had taken Grandmother Gordon quite by surprise. She could visualize the Brownies scurrying through the house, opening bureau drawers and peeping into every nook and cranny of the old dwelling.
“We’ll be very careful,” promised Connie eagerly. “We won’t disturb anything.”
“Then by all means search for the locket,” Grandmother Gordon encouraged the girls. She smiled confidently. “You won’t find the trinket, but you’ll have fun.”
The Brownies had no opportunity to search for the golden locket the next day, because directly after breakfast, Grandfather Gordon proposed a trip to the skating pond.
“Wrap up warmly because the mercury is nosing below zero this morning,” he warned. “We mustn’t have any little nipped fingers or toes.”
By the time the Brownies were ready, Grandfather Gordon brought the sled and horses to the door. Loading everyone in, he tucked the robes snugly about them.
“Here comes Skip!” laughed Connie, as the dog came plunging through the snow. “He wants to go with us!”
To confirm her words, Skip began to bark and carry on at a great rate.
“Let’s take him!” pleaded Eileen. “May we?”
Grandfather Gordon tossed Skip into the sled where he snuggled down beside Rosemary.
Then off they went over the hard-packed snow to a large circular pond which adjoined the icehouse.
Already many boys and girls were gliding over the smooth ice, laughing and shouting.
“The ice is frozen six inches deep and is safe everywhere except near the icehouse where the men have been cutting ice blocks,” Grandfather Gordon told the Brownies. “Keep away from there.”
The Brownies put on their skates and then hobbled over to the edge of the pond. Connie was the first one to start off. She sailed away so easily that Veve thought there was nothing to skating.