The speaker references the "patter of little feet" in the room above him and the "sound of a door that is opened," as well as "soft and sweet" voices. These are all auditory images, descriptions of things that we could imagine hearing as a result of their detail. These descriptions also betray the speaker's affection for the children right away. Words like "patter" and "sweet" have a positive and affectionate connotation.

As the children come down the "broad hall stair," the speaker describes them as "Grave Alice," "laughing Allegra, / And Edith with golden hair." These visual images, descriptions of things we might see, depict one serious child, one jocund child, and one child with shining blonde hair: all little girls. Their eyes are "merry" because they are "plotting and planning together" to take the speaker by surprise with their sneak attack: more visual images of twinkling and happy eyes about to enjoy a favorite game.

The speaker next describes how the girls "rush from the stairway" and make a "sudden raid from the hall," and we can certainly imagine them suddenly rushing toward their father's big chair in order to surround and kiss him joyfully. He calls them "blue-eyed banditti," comparing them to bandits who have come to attack him, though it is clear that he adores this sneak-attack game because of the playful language he uses to describe both the girls and their methods. He goes on to compare his heart to a "round-tower" of a castle, as he so longs to keep the girls there forever.