pear into
the dining-room again, and returned slowly to the nursery and
their interrupted tea.

CHAPTER III

Virtue Not Always Rewarded

It was not to be expected that such an occurrence could be passed
entirely over, but then again it is difficult to punish seven
children at the same time. At first Captain Woolcot had requested
Esther to ask Miss Marsh, the governess, to give them all ten
French verbs to learn; but, as Judy pointed out, the General
and Baby and Bunty and Nell had not arrived at the dignity of
French verbs yet, so such a punishment would be iniquitous.
The sentence therefore had not been quite decided upon as yet,
and everyone felt in an uncomfortable state of suspense.

"Your father says you're a disgraceful tribe," said the young
stepmother slowly, sitting down on the nursery rocking-chair
a day later. She had on a trailing morning wrapper of white
muslin with cherry ribbons, but there was a pin doing duty
for a button in one or two places and the lace was hanging
off a bit at the sleeve.

"Meg, dear, you're very untidy, you know, and Judy's absolutely
hopeless."

Meg was attired in an unbecoming green cashmere, with the elbows
out and the plush torn off in several places, while Judy's
exceedingly scant and faded pink zephyr had rents in several
places, and the colour was hardly to be seen for fruit-stains.

Meg coloured a little. "I know, Esther, and I'd like to be
nicely-dressed as well as anyone, but it really isn't worth
mending these old things."

She picked up her book about the elegant girls who were
disturbing her serenity and went over to the armchair with it.

"Well, Judy, you go and sew up those rents, and put some buttons
on your frock." Esther spoke with unusual determination.

Judy's eyes snapped and sparkled.

"'Is that a dagger that I see before me, the handle to my hand?
Come, let me grasp it,'" she said saucily, snatching one of the
pins from Esther's dress, fastening her own with it, and dropping
a curtsey.

Esther reddened a little now.

"That's the General, Judy: he always pulls the buttons off my
wrappers when I play with him. But I'm forgetting. Children,
I have bad news for you."

There was a breathless silence. Everyone crowded round her knees.

"Sentence has been proclaimed," said Judy dramatically: "let us
shave our heads and don sackcloth."

"Your father says he cannot allow such conduct to go unpunished,
especially as you have all be