hout waking Nurse, and made her way to the
little room where Willie slept alone.

"Willie," she said at the door, almost in a whisper, but Willie heard
her. He, too, for a wonder, was not able to sleep well to-night, and he
at once sat straight up in bed.

"Yes, Nelly," he said, in a low, though frightened voice, "what is it?
Is Leigh ill?"

"No," Helena replied; "at least, I hope not, though I'm awfully unhappy
about him. It's partly that and partly--everything, Willie--all we did
this afternoon. And worst of all," and here poor Nelly had hard work to
choke down a lump that began to come in her throat, "I didn't tell Mamma
the truth, when she asked what we were doing, you remember, Willie."

"Yes," said Willie, "I remember. You said we were hiding, and so we
were."

"But it wasn't quite true the way I let her think it," persisted Helena.
"Even if the words were true, the _thinking_ wasn't. And it has made me
so dreadfully unhappy. I didn't know how to wait till the morning to
tell her--I know I shan't go to sleep all night," and she did indeed
look very white and miserable.

Willie considered; he had good ideas sometimes, though Helena often
called him slow and stupid.

"I know what," he said. "You shall write a letter to Mamma--now, this
minute. I've got paper and ink and pens and everything, in my new
birthday writing-case, and I've got matches. Since my birthday, Papa
said I might have them in my room."

For Willie was a very careful little boy. If there was no likelihood of
his "setting the Thames on fire," his Father had said once, "there was
even less fear of his setting the _house_ on fire," and though Willie
did not quite understand about the "Thames"--how could a _river_
burn?--he saw that Papa meant something nice, so he felt quite pleased.

And the next morning, the first thing Mrs. Frere saw on her toilet-table
was a note addressed rather shakily in pencil, to "dear Mamma."

It was only a few lines, but it made her hurry to throw on her
dressing-gown and hasten to the nursery.

"How is Leigh?" were her first words to Nurse.

[Illustration: "_Willie at once sat straight up in bed._"]

"He's got a little cold in his head, ma'am, but nothing much," was the
cheerful reply, and Mamma saw by the child's face that there were no
signs of anything worse.

"But, Miss Helena," Nurse went on, "has had a bad night, and her head is
aching, so I thought it better to keep her in bed to breakfast."

Poor