Consequences

r Pe

day was going to be a suc

was seventeen, wore her hair in a thick plait twisted r

ir up, Diana? Are you

for my last term. Only Aunt Esther likes to see it that w

summer dresses. Alex was rather pleased. She had always been more of a success with her mother's grown-up friends than with her

n the terrace, she did not appear to expect them to join the party, and the in

who outshone her in every way, had acquired a surprising amount of self-assurance. Alex was not even certain that she approved of the ease with which her little si

y!" Diana exclaime

and earnestly consulted Cedric as to th

wards the house, Sad

but Aunt Esther's boys will be here after lunch, only they had to go over and play ten

d not seem to

had known he would be,

and Barbara and Cedric without seeing them when he s

o, Bu

ng," said Mrs. Cardew, "and you sha

between Sadie and a grey-headed gentleman, to whom she talked in

edric opposite, quite eagerly talking to Marie Munroe, which rather surprised

eadily, pleased to show off her self-possession, and the gulf separating her from the childishness of Barbara, who was

ns of the house came rushing in, hot and excite

"Sit down quietly now, Eric and Noel. I h

r salutation, and the elder boy dropped into a chair

English boy, his fairness burned almost to brick-red, and

ively, and wondered wha

ed her al

ne of those bran-new sorts, and a tripod, quarter-plate size. I want to do some g

in his chair so as almost to face Alex, and she t

sympathetic ejaculations, and put one or two timid ques

e, he turned from Alex at once, in the midst

now? Do let me do a group on the ter

t camera of yours-though he's really extraordinarily cle

ictimized? You won't keep us sitting in

could be formed, all the ladies began to straighten their hats, and pull or push at their fringes. Noel kept them waiting in the hot sun for what seemed a long while, and

d up, crying, "Now we can have some

er aunt said, smiling and

ng, wearisome game. She was not a good player, nor was Barbara, but Cedric surprised th

ric and Noel said, and gazed

tient too, and wished that it were

She could run faster than any of the other girls at Liège, and

of us-she'd better be captain fo

adship were a matter of course,

not me-Yo

edric, then. Hurry up and choose yo

gly, and the little red-haired girl skippe

oe

head in the di

" he

ice with the same attraction that had made him sit beside her

s, which fell with characteristic common sense on Noel's brother Eric, an

exciting, played all over

e not so stupid and priggish about keeping on her gloves, because old Nurse had said she must, and to wonder ver

king for somewhere to hid

he told her, and led her on tip-toe to where a very small, dis

they crept into the semi-darkness and sat on the floor,

ool in here

am

n liking her. Evidently he did like her, or he would not have sat next her at lunch and told

y fatal to any charm: she was unfeignedly astonished that any one should

to maintain the interest which she tho

le. Noel would think her dull,

n interested voice, although she remembered perfectly

rally do it for one-though, of course, I prefer doing my own. But there isn't time, except in the holidays, and then one's always running short of some stuff or other. The other day

day will be good," said Ale

get just as much effect on a dull day, using a larger stop, but, of

ioned negative before going on, sti

to what he said. But his voice went on and on, and it flattered her that he

ne could get some jolly good effects down here. Young Eric is all for me

, n

et the thing perfected, and then be one of the pioneers, yo

, n

n get the sea, and quite decent scenery, and any amount of view and

y Noel was bored, after all. But in

y hand at doing sort of book stuff. You know, photograph

ort of

d perhaps houses and thing

, I'm very

nteresting," No

can't do one thing all the time, and, of course, the swimming is first class at s

id you

other try, I daresay. You know, I've got rather a funny theory about swimming. I don't know whether you'll see

that she could divest herself of the ete

all taught the wrong way to begin with. It doesn't seem to

and clever, and tried to feel more flattered than ev

ized and done much better-but I'm afraid I'm a

ting," Alex said, not

pation that he was about to give the conversation a personal turn. "I think it makes life so much more inter

d wanted to tell Noel to stop talking, or they would be found, but sh

tography again. Alex, determined to feel pleased and interested, could only contribute a

rritated at the thought that they must have been sitting the

think it must be quite tea-time, shouldn'

trying to keep the mortif

sunlight again, and No

wonder where they all are. I expect they'll want to know where we've been hiding, but you

n't t

at the idea of being e

en play hid

hey've spent the last three summers with us, you know.

ouldn't you?" Alex asked, wit

le go rushing abroad to see other countries before they really know their own. Now, my plan would be that I'd simply start at Land's End, in Cornwall, just taking each principal town as it came on my way, you know, and expl

tfully; "I've seen Liège

me day, but my theory is that one ought to see something of one's own land first. Now take Devonshire. There are simply millions of old churches in Devonshire, and what I s

ld be talking to her so eagerly as they came

Diana Munroe exclaimed that Aunt Esther had called them

nary places to hide in," she

was not very popular wi

steps for the pony-carriage to take them away. The grey-haired man next to whom Alex had sat at lunch, and who evidently did not know any of the gro

little chap

's children-so are the two girls in blue. I cou

one of them-rathe

and at the same time kept motionless lest t

h she had made conversation with him at lunch, and having been a very pretty and much-admired drawing-room child in her n

ired gentleman

them a patch on Lad

e lady to whom he was talking. "One of th

her children. That little, red-haire

Barbara, shyly, and Cedric, briefly, to thank t

had yet known, hampered her tongue and her movements, until

?" said Barbara. "I'm sure

," Alex contradi

way." She looked slyly at Cedri

, as you call it, than another kid whom I'

't you li

all r

r family, the authorities of whom stigmatized

t to play with you at all, if you don't l

l easily crushed, continued to

asked her crossly, as they

shared a room at

silly," but added immediately, "you wouldn't be so cro

what

n't te

had been the nursery autocrat too long to b

at once,

I w

at is it about?" said Al

about

in a

ust somethi

he tell you

w I know. He'd be furio

? Does any on

n knows," giggled Barbara, jumpi

the candle over. Who's th

ue

so silly. I am not goin

reat hurry, "it's Marie Mun

tice of any one except Cedric, and I th

"I think he thinks he is in love with her. I saw them in the shrubbe

l, w

ssed her-I

s perfectly hateful of hi

high key of indignation. "What ha

g about it. Put out the candle, B

form of sentimentality, as he did any display of feeling on the part of his family, should have wanted to kiss little, red-haired Marie, whom he

to sleep, although she would gladly have dismissed the incident from her mind. Most of al

never formulated even to herself, and of which she would

t would never have occurred, say, to Noel Cardew-to ask her if he might kiss her. She did not want him to-w