, Madge!' said her sister.

'There you are again, old Mother Hubbard, with your preaching! But I'm
not going to quarrel with you this time. I want your advice. I want
you to tell me what little thing I should buy for Frank, just to be
friends all round, don't you know?'

'Friends? Yes, I hope so!' said Nan, with a grave smile. 'But how can
I tell you, Madge? I don't know, as you ought to know, what Captain
King has in the way of cigar-cases or such things----'

'But call him Frank, Nan! Do, to please me. And I know he would like
it.'

'Some time I may,' said Nan evasively. 'Afterwards, perhaps.'

'When you come to Kingscourt,' said Madge, with a curious kind of laugh.

Nan was silent, and turned away; she never seemed to wish to speak of
Kingscourt or her going there.

Frank King's stay in London was prolonged for some reason or other; at
length he announced his intention of returning to Brighton on a
particular Thursday. On the Tuesday night Nan and Madge arranged that
they would get fresh flowers the next day for the decoration of the
rooms.

'And this is what I will do for you, Madge, as it is a special
occasion,' remarked Miss Anne, with grave patronage. 'If you will get
up early tomorrow, I will take you to a place, not more than four miles
off, where you will find any quantity of hart's-tongue fern. It is a
deep ditch, I suppose a quarter of a mile long, and the banks are
covered. Of course I don't want any one to know, for it is so near
Brighton it would be harried for the shops; but I will show you the
place, as you will soon be going away now; and we can take a basket.'

'But how did you find it out, Nan?'

'Some one showed it to me.'

'The singing-woman, I suppose?'

'Yes. Think of that. I believe she could get twopence a root; and she
might fill a cart there. But she won't touch one.'

'No,' said Edith, with a superior smile. 'She leaves that for young
ladies who could very well afford to go to a florist's.'

'What I shall take won't hurt,' said Nan, meekly.

So, next morning, Nan got up about eight; dressed, and was ready to
start. That is to say, she never arranged her programme for the day
with the slightest respect to meals. So long as she could get an apple
and a piece of bread to put in her pocket she felt provided against
everything. However, she thought she would go along to Madge's room,
and see if that young lady had ideas about breakfast.

Madge's room was em