"I'm not a bit afraid," and Nancy meant it, for within her breast
smouldered such righteous indignation at Miss Sabrina and her precious
ancestors that she welcomed the challenge.

Dressing hurriedly for supper Nancy's eye caught the letter to Claire
lying on her bureau. It seemed to her as though hours and hours had
passed since she had so flippantly bade Claire "pray for me!"

She wanted to open the letter and dash off another page to tell Claire
of all that had happened and how the "mystery" was a mystery no longer.
Then, with the envelope in her hand, she remembered that it concerned
Aunt's grandfather and that, perhaps, _she_ had no right to tell! But
she did open the sheet and scribble across the top: "All sorts of
things have happened since I wrote this, and I may be back with you any
moment. I can't tell you yet all about it, but I can say this, that I
hate Happy House and I'm glad as can be that I'm only a pretend
Real-Leavitt! Everybody isn't horrid, though, that nice old Webb built
the cosiest seat up in my tree and surprised me."

In exactly twenty minutes, by the hands of her small watch, she must
meet Miss Sabrina! Anyway, she could tell her just what she thought
about the whole thing, for, without any doubt she'd be sent away! But
there was Aunt Milly--she had promised Aunt Milly that there would be
more afternoons in the orchard. Somehow she must fix that.

"I know," she waved her brush in mid-air, "I'll get Belinda!"

CHAPTER VIII

B'LINDY'S TRIUMPH

No great general of war ever mapped out a plan of attack more carefully
than Nancy laid hers! First she begged B'lindy to let her pick over
the raspberries for supper. While doing this in the chummiest sort of
way, it was very easy to tell B'lindy that she had eaten lots of raised
biscuits but never any raised biscuits like she'd had at Happy House!

The last raspberry in the glass dish, Nancy in departing, whispered
with a little laugh; "Weren't you dreadfully frightened this afternoon
when you saw Aunt Sabrina? O! of course you weren't--Webb told me you
were the only one who could really make Aunt Sabrina do anything, but,
goodness, _I_ was!" Which was balm to B'lindy's injured pride; as the
afternoon wore on B'lindy had been growing more and more indignant
because she had not "stood on her two feet and spoke up to Sabriny
Leavitt" instead of "turning tail like old Jonathan!"

Throughout the supper, by eating very fast, Nancy man