So the Uncle coughed and stood up and made a speech. He said -'Ladies and gentlemen, we are met together to discuss an important subject which has for some weeks engrossed the attention of the honourable member opposite and myself.'
I said, 'Hear, hear,' and Alice whispered, 'What happened to the guinea-pig?' Of course you know the answer to that.
The Uncle went on -'I am going to live in this house, and as it's rather big for me, your Father has agreed that he and you shall come and live with me.
And so, if you're agreeable, we're all going to live here together, and, please God, it'll be a happy home for us all. Eh! - what?'
He blew his nose and kissed us all round. As it was Christmas I did not mind, though I am much too old for it on other dates. Then he said, 'Thank you all very much for your presents; but I've got a present here I value more than anything else I have.'
I thought it was not quite polite of him to say so, till I saw that what he valued so much was a threepenny-bit on his watch-chain, and, of course, I saw it must be the one we had given him.
He said, 'You children gave me that when you thought I was the poor Indian, and I'll keep it as long as I live. And I've asked some friends to help us to be jolly, for this is our house-warming. Eh!
- what?'
Then he shook Father by the hand, and they blew their noses; and then Father said, 'Your Uncle has been most kind - most -'
But Uncle interrupted by saying, 'Now, Dick, no nonsense!'
Then H. O. said, 'Then you're not poor at all?' as if he were very disappointed.
The Uncle replied, 'I have enough for my simple wants, thank you, H. O.; and your Father's business will provide him with enough for yours. Eh! - what?'
Then we all went down and looked at the fox thoroughly, and made the Uncle take the glass off so that we could see it all round and then the Uncle took us all over the house, which is the most comfortable one I have ever been in. There is a beautiful portrait of Mother in Father's sitting-room. The Uncle must be very rich indeed. This ending is like what happens in Dickens's books; but I think it was much jollier to happen like a book, and it shows what a nice man the Uncle is, the way he did it all.