What Timmy Did

here excepting Dolly. But as he sat down, and as Betty began to pour out tea, Doll

were so many, many people whom Dolly might have met and had a talk

e seen Mrs. Crofton," he observed, his

ou know?" she cried. "But it's qu

ke?" asked Jack

tty, who somehow always seemed

l prove a 'stayer'

as a beautiful little building-the oldest dwelling-house in the village, in spite of its early Victo

, or did she speak to

gain Timmy

e of you do. But I don't mean to t

forts were always made in the family circle to keep

exclaimed Rosamund. "I did so hop

e, with at least one grown-up son preferab

l standing, looked d

gan. "For one thing, she's quite young, and she's awfull

in the post-offi

e felt so lonely and miserable that when she heard the bell ri

'?" in a tone of di

close to the door," went on Dolly, "and I'd wondered who she w

mean-unlike?

ht she was a summer visitor. And

p of tea, grieving the while to see how untidy she lo

happ

e was so frightened that she ran back into the church again. But of course I didn't know she was Mrs. Crofton then. I got the dog into the post-office g

she must be"-t

e told me she was Mrs. Crofton, and that she had only arrived this morning. I offered to walk home with her,

band bred wire-haired terriers. Colonel Crofton sold F

ty, who always rem

ton wrote Timmy such a nice letter telling him how to manage Flick.

hallenge. "I should hate my wife not

time to make her like you

nt on Dolly, in her slow, deliberate way,

k her to supper, Doll

ad a curious dislike to the presence of strangers there. This was unfortunate, for his step-mother was very hospit

of any woman in the village who could come in and cook dinner for her this

"that we shall all dress for dinner. Why s

always allowed to sit up to dinner. His brothers and sisters were too fond of

ard his remark, Timmy repeated obsti

irritably. "If we didn't now live in such a huggery-mu

lowed to go "slack." She knew it to be bad for her sisters. It wasn't as if they did any real housework or gave useful help in the kitchen. Dolly tried to do so in a de

truly attached to his step-mother. He was old enough to remember what a change she had made in the then dull, sad, austere Old Place. Janet ha

d the others. It was more the little boy's own clever insistence which got him his own way, and secured him certain privileges which they, at his age, had never enjoyed. Timmy also always knew how to manage his

opened the dining-room door. For some moments she stood there, unseen, watching the eager party gathered roun

se been rather less retroussé, her generous, full-lipped mouth just a little smaller, her brown hair either much darker, or really fair, as was Rosamund's, she would have been exceptionally pretty. What to the discriminating made her so much more attractive than either of her younger sisters

ould have been touched and surprised indeed had she known that it was the thought of herself that had brought that look on Jack's face. Jack was twenty-one, but looked like a man of thirty-he was so set, he knew so exactly what he w

hat, and it was clear that she had just come in from the village. Her step-mother noticed with dissatisfaction that th

he commonplace Dolly! Rosamund's gleaming fair hair curled naturally all over her head; she had lovely,

t Betty was prejudiced. There had always been a curious link of sympathy between the two

no problem. He was far more human than Jack, b

otherwise. She was woman enough to regret sharply their altered way of life. When Godfrey had lived in Old Place, there had been a good cook, a capable

ng visit. It was so strange, in a way, so painful to know that to mo

terly unlike what any of us thought she would be!" she cried out. "She's young, and very prett

om first. But this was not to be. Janet Tosswill had a very positive mind-she was full of what she had come in to say, and the new tena

her, except Betty

" came in e

oned from London just now, and he's comin

only one who stol

lowly. "It's queer he would want to com

k lightly. "But there it is! The whole world has

s still very ric

tartled. "Why shouldn

he might have lost some of this money in the s

of it was lost by a friend of his, not by Godfrey himself at all. He was t

rent ways very much surprised, for Betty never mentioned her twin-brother. All at once

t last, breaking a silence that had become oppressive.

t mind? Dolly thought it the only thing to

one of the days that Godfrey is here," observed Janet. "

ered not good for his health, and there was a constant struggle between himself and his determined mother to force him to do the normal thing. So after she had finished

to the village. There are one or two things we mus

o his table, and then made his way round to the first of the long French windows of the dining-room. He was just in time

full old green damask curtains, listen

ere engaged, but not for very long. Still, they'd been fond o

hat he's like, Jack! I suppose y

ed, rather u

s were dead. His snuffy old guardian had been at Balliol with father. So father was asked to coach h

him?" interp

aid Jack loftily. "But I believe 'twas he made a

t broken off?"

lost all his

thing to do!"

ke an idiot, Radmore had gone and put the whole of the little bit of money he had saved out of the fire on

w!" exclaim

e up his mind to go to Australia. And he was simply amazed w

ve liked to g

her could have given her nothing, even then, so how could they have lived? Th

Place off his indignant

having scarlet fever-in a London hospit

ned communication via Timmy?

samund. "I saw it in his play-box the other

did!" from To

rtune, and wanted to share it with his godson. How

unds!" s

s his godson

rote again to Timmy from Egypt, and then began the presents. I wonder if we ought to have thanked him for

y present, too!" o

till in love with Be

tten to her, not to Timmy. Nine years is a long t

exclaimed Tom

o the garden. So Timmy, with a swift, sinuous movement, withdrew from the curtain, and edgi

to take into the village-came back, she was pleased and surpr