from ours, and it's very big. There's a
room with no carpet on, where we dance. She likes to have the class at
her house, because her children are awfully delicate, or, anyway, she
thinks they are; and if it's the least cold or wet, she's afraid to let
them go out. They come up to town early in the spring, and it suits very
well for us to go to their class, as it's so near.

We rather like it. There's more girls than boys, of course--a lot--but I
don't mind, because there are two or three about my size, and one a bit
bigger, though he's younger.

We were not sorry to hear it was to begin again, and we all said to mums
that she should let Maud come too. Maud had never been yet, and Serry
had only been one year. Mums wasn't sure. Dancing is rather expensive,
you know, but she said she'd ask father.

'The class is to be every Saturday afternoon, like last year,' she said.
'That will do very well.'

'But do persuade father to let Maud come too,' we all said.

It wasn't till afterwards that I thought to myself that I would look
absurder than ever--the only boy to _four_ sisters! It was bad enough
the year before with three.

CHAPTER IV

AT THE DANCING CLASS

It's funny to think what came of our going to that first dancing class.
If Anne hadn't run down to the pantry, the note wouldn't have been
found--perhaps not for months, if ever. And though Mrs. Liddell would
have written again the next week most likely, it wouldn't have been in
time for us to go to the first class, and everything would have come
different.

We did go--all five of us. Father was quite willing for Maud to come
too. I think he would have said yes to anything mother asked just then,
he was so sorry for her; and he was beginning himself, as the days went
on, to feel less hopeful about the diamond ornament being found. And you
see mums couldn't put it off her mind, as she kept telling Anne _she_
should do, for it was quite dreadful to her to think of grandfather's
having to hear about it. She was so really sorry for him to be vexed,
for she had thought it so kind of him to lend it to her.

There were several children we knew at the dancing class. Some, like the
little Liddells themselves, that we hadn't seen for a good long while,
as they always stayed in the country till after Christmas, and some that
we didn't know as friends, only just at the dancing, you see.

It was rather fun. We always found time for a good deal of talking and
la