omething cheering to say.

'Rodney Square,' Anne repeated, 'yes, that's close to here.'

For by this time we were almost at our own house.

Miss Stirling said good-bye to us as soon as the door was opened, and we
all five went in together.

Mother was out; we knew she was, but yet it seemed rather dull to be
told she hadn't come in. I always think it's dreadfully dull to come
home and find one's mother out.

I didn't go upstairs. I had some lessons to finish, though it was
Saturday afternoon, and so had Hebe, because you see we'd been longer at
the dancing than if we'd just gone a walk. So we two went straight into
the schoolroom, and Hebe took off her hat and jacket and put them down
on a chair. The other three went on upstairs, and we didn't think any
more about them.

What happened when they got up to the nursery we heard afterwards. Nurse
was not there, and the room was rather dark.

'Why isn't the gas lighted?' said Maud. 'It looks so dull,' and she ran
out of the room and down the passage to nurse's own room, calling out,
'Nurse, nurse, where are you? We've come in.'

Maud was very fond of nurse, and of course being the youngest she was
nurse's pet. She's married now--our old nurse, I mean. She left us last
Christmas, and we've got a schoolroom-maid instead, who doesn't pet Maud
at all of course, but I don't think Maud minds.

'Nurse, where are you?' she called out.

Nurse was in her room; she had a fire, and she was ironing some things.

'Come in here, dearie,' she answered. 'I didn't think it was so late.
I'll have done in a moment, and then I'll light the gas and see about
tea.'

So Maud went in to nurse's room and began telling her about the dancing.
And thus Anne and Serena were left by themselves in the half-dark
nursery.

Anne stood staring in the fire for a minute without speaking. All this,
you understand, they told us afterwards.

'Won't you come and take your things off, Anne?' said Serry.

But, instead of answering, Anne asked her another question.

'Do you know the number of the Barrys' house in Rodney Square?' it was.

'No,' said Serena. 'But I know the house. It is a corner one, and it has
blue and white flower-boxes. What do you want to know about it for?'

Anne looked round--no, there was no sign of nurse; she and Serena were
alone.

'Serry,' she said in a whisper, 'I've thought of something,' and then
she went on to tell Serry what it was.

That's all I'll tell just now;