Robert was so interested that he proposed to clean the front doorsteps--a thing he had never been allowed to do.

Nor was he allowed to do it on this occasion.

One reason was that it had already been done by cook.
When all the housework was finished, the girls dressed the happy, wriggling baby in his blue highwayman coat and three-cornered hat, and kept him amused while mother changed her dress and got ready to take him over to granny's.

Mother always went to granny's every Saturday, and generally some of the children went with her; but today they were to keep house.

And their hearts were full of joyous and delightful feelings every time they remembered that the house they would have to keep had a Phoenix in it, AND a wishing carpet.
You can always keep the Lamb good and happy for quite a long time if you play the Noah's Ark game with him.