me shouting to me."

"Oh, I'm ever so sorry--I forgot about your headache," answered
Marjorie. "It's dreadful of me, I know."

She walked on gravely by Ermengarde's side, the joy on her face a
little damped. But presently, being a most irrepressible child, it
bubbled over again.

"I wouldn't be so awfully, awfully glad, only you _have_ been at the
Russells', Ermie. You spent a fortnight with them after Christmas, and
Lily always promised that she'd have me asked next. I can't help being
delighted about it," continued Marjorie, "for I do so love Lily."

"You little minx! And I suppose you imagine that a big girl like
Lilias Russell cares for you! Why, she's fifteen, and ever so tall."

"But she said she was very fond of me," answered Marjorie.

"Oh, she _said_ it! And you believed it, of course! Have you no
observation of character? Can't you see, unless you're as blind as a
bat, that Lilias Russell is one of those polite sort of people who
always must say pleasant things just for the sake of making themselves
agreeable? Well, my dear, go and worship her, you have got a chance
now for a week; only for goodness' sake don't worry me any more about
it."

Marjorie ran off in her stolid little way. Ermengarde watched her as
her sturdy figure disappeared from view.

"Ridiculous child!" she said to herself, "and so plain. I can't make
out why people make such a fuss about her. She's always held up to me
as a sort of model. How I detest models, particularly the Maggie kind!
Now I know exactly what will happen. She'll go to Glendower with
father and Basil, and won't she gush just! I know how she'll pet
Lilias Russell, and how she'll paw her. And Lilias is just that weak
sort of girl with all her grace and prettiness, to be taken in by that
sort of thing. Lilias fancies that she has taken quite a liking for
Maggie--as if she could make a friend of her! Why, Maggie's a baby,
and a very conceited, troublesome one too."

It was now time for Ermengarde to go in. She pleaded a headache, and
so escaped doing any more lessons that day, and in the afternoon she
managed to make the hours pass agreeably over the "Heir of Redclyffe,"
which she was reading for the first time, and so did not miss Basil's
attention and companionship as much as she would otherwise have done.

All the rest of the children and Miss Nelson were busy and interested
in preparing Marjorie for her visit to Glendower. Basil had gone out
fishing with his fath