in, that's all right," said Annie. She took
a hand of each child, and they started on their pleasant walk. Boris was
very messy and untidy, his face was stained with fruit and his hands
were dirty. Nell's blue cotton frock was also considerably out at the
gathers round the waist, but the children did not give a thought to
their clothes or personal appearance in the sudden rapture with which
they hailed Annie's suggestion.

The walk across the fields in the sweet freshness of the summer's
evening was all that was delightful, and in an incredibly short space of
time, the three found themselves at the other side of the turnstile
which led into the grounds of the Grange.

"We'll be there long before the others," said Boris. "Suppose we light a
great bonfire on the lawn to welcome them." But even wild Annie did not
see the propriety of this suggestion.

"No, we won't do that," she said. "If the Grange were our own place we
would. We'll just go and sit on the terrace and watch for them."

"Won't Kitty jump when she sees us?" said Boris, a look of satisfaction
radiating all over his face. "She'll see that we have had our lark as
well as the rest of them; oh, I call it real spiffin' fine."

They were walking rapidly through the shrubbery now, and as Boris
finished his speech they came out on the broad sweep in front of the
house.

Just before the entrance a brougham was standing, and instead of
solitude they found themselves surrounded by familiar figures.

Kitty was the first to observe them. She gave a stifled sort of scream,
and pushing aside Boris, who was prepared to rush into her arms, came up
to Annie, took one of her hands, and looked into her face.

"I kept the secret true as true," she said; "but it almost killed me,
and it has nearly quite killed Nora." Her poor little voice broke with
these last words, and she burst into the frantic sobs which she had
bravely kept back until now.

"What in the world is the matter?" said Annie, kneeling down and putting
her arm round the excited child.

"Why, that's Dr. Jervis's carriage," shouted Boris. "What can be up?"

"Why are you back so early from the picnic?" asked Nell.

But Kitty sobbed on unable to reply.

She felt the comfort of Annie's arms round her, and presently she laid
her hot, flushed, little face on Annie's neck and wetted her frill with
her plentiful tears, but no information could be got at present from
poor Kitty's lips.

"There's Molly, and th