Jill's Red Bag

r sister wants

sucking peppermints. She had a slight cold, and had not accompanied Jac

Annie? Not in t

ary," answered t

w a strange young lady in earnest conversation with her sister; and she was conscious of a rough

urned

iss Falkner. Shake hand

r hands behi

e said, staring at M

ner with a smile. "You are f

the harder,

ave them to me. She said

hair as she spoke. "She is the eldest, Miss Falkner, then comes Jack, then Winn

iss Falkner up and down. "

, dear?" aske

nod

wri

her

her a li

e like a little savage this afternoon. I am sure it i

often speak

es. "Who is she? and what does she want?" she demanded passio

ng breath till she reached the nursery. Here she flung herself down face foremost on the hearthrug, an

ung himself on

trum! What have

self from his clutches. Then she sat up and tosse

have a g

k. "Good-bye to nurse

I told her I hated her, and she'll never forgive me. Mona was so cross, and then I was,

he like?" d

r person," sai

tea?" asked Bump

her small sis

for ever and ever; she's just like a nurse, only

g view had no

ol-at least in books they do. To be sure," he added thoughtfully, "they always

nice game?"

yes began to d

nce. We must save up bits of cake and biscuits, and anythi

only be truants in summer. You always spend a day in the woods and have a ki

"We'll show how we can truant. I'll think of the

His brain was a quick and busy one, but nothing to be compared to Jill's. He laid the fo

follower, and would as cheerfully have tried to walk a tight

tart?" pursued J

hen she's comin

her one day first," said Jack, "because

it's a very wet

em when Mona came into the nursery

iss Falkner is coming to

k. "She's a governess.

nother month, when we g

it was only shut up for three months in the winter. They liked Lo

their expre

cheerfully. "The time will soon pass. Jill, what made yo

was her habit when embarrassed. Then she looked stra

. "You've told us how you used to hate

rness was very different from Miss Falkner-she was a tall, grim, strict old thing, who never smi

coming now," sai

a queer chi

"we've settled to do something when s

asked Mona u

claimed Jill; "we aren'

ish you would try to be good. I can't

on the window-seat drummi

d do exactly what they liked, that they could be just as naughty as ever they wished to be. Why

n spite of his mischievous rollicking w

d at him m

children. I shall only look at them when they want me to! It's a pity this governess isn't coming soon; but we'll

in my play-box that locks up. Lumps of s

He kept his box in a corner of the nursery, and more than once had to interfere when Bumps was eagerly putting all ki

's programme for "truant day" grew more glorious as time went on, and when her imagination sometimes failed b

ten all our food, and the sun has dried up all the ponds and rivers so that we can get no water?

dded con

and stockingth, and we'll have no hat, a

y, but the month wore away, and th

Nurse was too busy unpacking and arranging things to heed them,

o, and she made short wo

themselves. Miss Falkner is coming the end of the week

y, when Miss Falkner arrived at the ho

er face, pinafore and hands were covered with black coal-dust, for the contents of the coal-scuttle had bee

ill, arrayed in all the coats and wraps that she could find, was ambling about on all fours making sudden rushes at the coal-scuttle, which was just high enough to swing over her he

ight clear voice spoke th

E MY LITT

e my litt

is post, and Bumps was the only one that continued her occupation. She swung he

Jack," she wh

ner lifte

onder?" she said. "It looks

dragon," said Jack eagerly. "And I'm t

and her smile embolde

tairs to have hers. She's going to-morrow, because you've come, and I'm jolly glad too! And if you make haste and have your

Miss Falkner, following William up-stairs. "Won

governess in the school-room, whilst she related to them some childish reminiscence of her own

ast in finding some on

ook her head

show," she