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p yourself, if you wan

lfr

red-haired, snub-nosed and defiant, mimicked the protesting

teacher glanced at the scrawled and blotted map before her. "It-it

ister leaned back in her chair

ith Wilfred's work, Avice

. "And I suppose I can speak

n lesson time,"

oing to

controlled herse

your work,

finished it resembled a stormy sky-a groundwork of blue-black, blotted w

you know it isn't hard-you did a far more difficult

urday," said Wilfred, with a grin. "Jolly lit

t up!" s

ys. Bob will do nothing for you if I can't give him a decent report of you." It was the threat she hated using, bu

rcise, while Wilfred sullenly recommenced a dispirited attack upon the African coastline. Cecilia leaned back in her

s the matte

copiously, and so frequently as Queenie. As she stood holding out a very grubby forefinger, on which appeared a minute spot of blood, great tears fell in splas

red irritably. "Anyone 'ud think

ured member with the pillow case she was hemming, adding a

aid Cecilia wearily. "People who are nearly seven

lly!" Avice jeered. "Who bites our heads

here, Queenie." She took the pillow case, and unpicked a few stitches, which clearly indicated that the needle had been taking giant strides. "Just hem that last inch or two again, and see if you can't make it look nice. I beli

the wrong moment for her. He pushed the atlas away from him with a jerk that overturned the ink bottle, sending a stream of ink towards Avice-who, shoving her chair backwards to escape the deluge, cannoned into Queenie, and brought

Rainham acidly. "And the ink all over the cloth. Well

t over," said Ceci

e children, and see that they do not

ren will n

u never trouble to exercise any tact whatever." Her eyes dwelt fondly on her high-spirited son, whose red head was bent attentive

fred, manufacturing mountains tirelessly.

u might point out those little details-that i

ly' jutht now," said Qu

od deal of these things in London." A little smile hovered on her thin lips, as Cecilia flushed, and Avice and her brother grinned broadly. The

on a tray heralded t

better try to clean the cloth before lunch; it is ruined, of course, but do what you can with it. I will choose another the next time I am in London. A

it, Mater," said

the children have gone this afternoon, I want you to see to the drawing-room; some

dismay. The children's dancing lesson ga

ing to meet Bob,

f you hasten yourself. Yes, Eliza, you can have the table."

nd departing servants in the Rainham household-the high-spirited characteristics of the children being apt to pall quickly upon anyone but their mother. In days when there happened to be no Eliza, it was Cecilia who naturally inherited the vacant place, adding the duties of house-maid to

u waiting; there's a river of ink gone astray here." She placed the soaked c

cleanin' up," muttered Eliza. "Lemme rub that up now, Miss."

iza-but you've got p

ow wot a success that 'at you trimmed for me is. It's a fair scream. I wore it larst night, an' me young man-'im wot's in the Royal Irish-well, it fair knocked 'i

your hair under the hat. I told you how prett

dred times every night, till Cook reckoned I was fair cracked. But 'air's on'y 'air, an' anyone 'as it-it's not ev

Cecilia's face fell. "I m

er for you," said Eliza. "An' don't you worry

have no time. I know it's

ootstep in the passage, and began to rattle spoons and forks with a vigo

pparently intent on examining Wilfred's straw ha

ing with servants, Cecilia. It is such a bad exampl

draped the cloth across the hand basin in the bathroom, turning t

oney for a new cloth out of this quarter's allowance, because I've just got it. That's luck, anyhow. I'll give it to Bob to keep, in case she goes through my desk again." She poured some ammonia upon the stain, and rubbed gingerly, surveying the result with a tilted nose. It was not successful. "Shall I try petrol? But petrol's an awful price, and I've only got the lit

; and well-hardened clay resists ordinary cleaning methods, and demands edged tools. The luncheon bell rang loudly before Cecilia had finished. She gave the shoes a final hurried ru

own in time for meals, Cecilia,"

in of the moment, but in that case Mrs. Rainham merely changed her ground, and waxed eloquent about the sin of yesterday, or of last Friday week, for which there might happen to be no defence at all. It was so difficul

m a side view, and wore in the house loose and flowing garments of strange tints, calculated to bring out the colour of her glowing tresses. Cecilia, who worshipped colour with every bit of her artist soul, adored her stepmother's hair as t

r own elaborate dresses cheap and common by comparison. It was so easy for her to look well turned out; and it would never be easy to dress Avice, who bade fair to resemble her mother in build, and had already a passion for frills and trimmings, and a contempt for plain things. Mrs. Rainham had an uneasy conviction that the girl who bore all her scathing comments in silence actually dared to criticize her in her own mind-perhaps openly to Bob, whose blue eyes held many unspoken things as he looked at h

Cecilia was going to meet Bob-Bob, who had uttered the horrible remark. Well, at least there should be no haste about the meetin

they were doubly welcome, because easy to arrange. She sorted them into long-necked vases swiftly, carrying each vase, when filled, to the drawing-room-a painful apartment, crowded with knick-knacks until it resembled a bazaar stall, with knobby and unsteady bamboo furniture and much drapery of a would-be artistic nature. It was stuffy

osition on the piano-finding room for it with difficulty amid a collection of photograph f

"See to it before you go, Cecilia." She opened the piano. "Just come and try the

soprano wobbling and flattening on the high notes, were hours of real distress, from which she would escape feeling her teeth on edge. Her stepmother, however, had thoroughly enjoyed herself since the discovery that no accompaniment presented any difficulty to Cecilia. It saved her a world of trouble in practising; moreover, when standing, it was far easier to

ng to change also. Cecilia took her through it patiently, going over and over again the tricky passages, and devoutly wishing that Providence in supplying her stepmot

The Simons will be here, and they do like to hear what's new. Go on with your d

ated, glancin

" she said. "Eliza told m

had you, to ask her to do it. Goodness knows it's hard enough to make the lazy thing do her own work. Just get your dust

ared Avice's room, and she entered, to find that

you'd look after my clothes like Mater said you had to, I wouldn't be late

spare buttons for that frock, and I can sew one on." She accomplished th

evealed Wilfred, who hated dancing, reading a "penny dreadful" in his room-ready to start, save for the trifling detail of having neglected to wash an extremely dirty face. Cecilia managed to make him repair the omission, after a struggle, and s

hat duster, Miss?" she inquired

ting for me to do it

silver proper. Silver, indeed!-'lectrer-plyte, an' common at that. Just you cut and run as soon as she

knew she should not allow the girl to speak of her mistress so conte

a. "A bloomin' s

ul eye. Occasionally came a crisp comment: "You didn't dust that window-sill." "Cecilia, that table has four legs-did you only notice two?"-the effort to spea

rnament after another-leaving the collection upon the piano until the last, in the hope that by the time she reached it the thirst for music would have departed from the performer. But Mrs. Rainham's tea appointment was not yet; she was thoroughly enjoying herself, the charm of her

she remarked. "Nothing like the eye of the mistress; I think I must practise every day while you are dust

ther she met Bob or not; she was too tired to care. This was only a sample of many days; so it had been for two years-so it would be fo

as about to shut the door, when

ilia! Come he

ly. Mrs. Rainham was st

aker has a knack of making everything hard to fasten.

. She obeyed in silence, shrinking back as far as she could from the stout, over-scented b

d. I can't stoop in this dress, that's the worst of it. And my gloves are in that box on

o'clock," said the

e method in getting through every day. However, Bob is only your brother-it would

amed round

he world," she cried. "And I would

gy." Mrs. Rainham surveyed her own generous proportions in the glass, and gathered up her gloves with a pleased air. For the moment she could not poss

it had a tonic effect upon her; to-day it seemed that nothing could help her. She leaned her head against the window, a wave of homesick loneliness flooding all her

! Are yo

ular fellow, in Air Force blue, with twinkling eyes. She

n," she whispered. "If anyone else

ung a brotherly arm

namented pie sailing down the street, and I dived into a side alley until she'd gon

lia. But Bob was not liste

r," he said. "I had to come and tell y