I wish I was dead," said Daisy, violently, having arrived at that
dismal conclusion by some unspoken train of thought. "I wish I was a
cow. I wish I was a boy."

"But you can't be a cow or a boy," said Gladys, gravely, "and you don't
really wish you were dead."

Daisy suddenly had a fit of the giggles, which before long infected her
cousin also, and they both lay back in their chairs in peals of helpless
laughter. Now and then one or other would recover a little, only to be
set off again by the temporarily hopeless case, and it was not till they
had laughed themselves tired that the fit subsided.

Daisy mopped her streaming eyes.

"L-let's pick laburnum," she said at length. "How silly you are! But it
would save such a lot of trouble to be a cow. If I laugh any more I
shall be sick."

"Come into the garden, then," said Gladys. "Oh dear! I didn't mean
_that_. Don't laugh again, Daisy; it does hurt so dreadfully."

CHAPTER XI.

Whatever might prove to be the conduct of others, it seemed clear next
morning that the weather meant to do all in its power to help Daisy to
have a happy time, and another hot and cloudless day succeeded. The
girls intended originally to lunch at one, since that gave a longer
afternoon; but at one, since nobody had appeared, it seemed wiser to put
off lunch till half-past, since that was the hour at which they lunched
in London. Eventually they sat down alone to a meal even more belated.
But at present nothing could touch or mar Daisy's happiness.

"It is much better that he shouldn't come," she said, with an air of
decision. "I daresay Aunt Alice wouldn't like it, though it couldn't
have been supposed to be my fault. Very likely his motor has broken
down; he told me it usually did."

She laughed quite naturally; there was no sting in his absence.

"In fact, he told me he usually sent it on ahead," she said, "and
started walking after it about half an hour later. In that way, by the
time he arrived his chauffeur had generally put it to rights again, and
he got in."

"Then he ought to be here in half an hour," remarked Gladys.

"Yes. Shall we have lunch kept cold for him? It would be hot by the time
he arrived if we didn't. Oh, Gladys, I believe you are laughing at me.
How horrid of you!"

"Not in the least. But I am rather glad he didn't come. I hate
concealing things from mother."

Daisy put her nose in the air.

"Oh, you needn't have worried. He would have been quite c