lf
happily in catching and shutting up in an empty pill-box the flies that
buzzed drowsily in the warm, bright sunshine.

She paused for an instant in the act of conveying with her nimble little
fingers another captive to its dungeon, when she noticed Darby's flushed
cheeks and shining eyes.

"What's the matter, dear?" inquired the tiny, white-robed maiden, in
quite a motherly manner. "Has you got a pain, Darby? or was you dreamin'
about somefin' werry nice? You does look awful funny, I fink."

"I'm not sick, and I haven't been dreaming," answered her brother, in
earnest assurance. "But I've been thinking, and I've made up my mind.
We're not going to stay here any longer. I've 'cided where we'll go.
We'll go to the Happy Land--that place nurse is often singing about,
where we shall always be good, and never be naughty, or sick, or
punished, or put to bed any more. It'll never be dark or raining either,
but always fine, and bright, bright as day!"

"How lovely!" cried Joan, clapping her hands in ecstasy, at the same
time dropping the pill-box, from which the autumn flies crawled lazily,
as if too indolent or too stupid to enjoy their newly-regained liberty.

"Just wouldn't it!" said Darby, with quivering lips and sparkling eyes,
for he was terribly excited over his scheme. "And you'll come, Joan,
won't you, lovey?"

"Yes," assented Joan, without the slightest hesitation, giving a
decisive nod of her golden head that set all her curls bobbing up and
down like daffodils in a March breeze--"yes, I'm comin' wif you, Darby
dear. When's we goin'?" she inquired anxiously, as if in haste to be
off.

Darby drew her into bed beside him, tucked up her cold pink toes in the
blankets, and in earnest, subdued tones the two discussed the how and
the when of their projected pilgrimage.

They could not set off that day, for they were prisoners. The next day
was Sunday. They would be sure to be out; but then Sunday was not a
suitable day on which to start on a lengthy journey. Monday would be a
more fitting time, and Darby remembered with a thrill of thankfulness
that early on Monday morning the aunts were going away to spend a couple
of nights at Denescroft, as grannie's charming, China-rose-trimmed
cottage was called. That would be their chance! Nurse would be almost
entirely occupied with Eric, and they two should be left to do pretty
much as they pleased. By the time their aunts returned on Wednesday
evening the little trave