Well, listen what happened.
Yesterday Aunt Jane went to spend the day with her best friend.

She said for me not to leave the house, as some member of the family should be there.

She told me to sew an hour, weed an hour, dust the house downstairs and upstairs, and read some improving book an hour.
The rest of the time I might amuse myself.
Amuse myself! A jolly time I could have all by myself! Even Father wasn't to be home for dinner, so I wouldn't have _that_ excitement.

He was out of town, and was not to come home till six o'clock.
It was an awfully hot day.

The sun just beat down, and there wasn't a breath of air.