he kitchen
to help Mrs. Morrison to prepare tea for them.

Stella seemed to have forgotten her annoyance when she came in to tea,
for she was laughing heartily; but when Vava asked her if she were
tired, she said, 'No,' very coldly, and addressed no more conversation
to her.

Vava consequently talked to Eva; but this kind of thing could not go on,
and after tea, when she found herself with Mrs. Morrison, she unburdened
herself to her old nurse. 'And you see, nursie, I don't know what to do.
If I don't tell Stella she will be horrid and cold with me; and if I do
tell her she will be frightfully annoyed,' she explained.

But Mrs. Morrison would not sympathise with her. 'You ought not to write
letters you do not wish your sister to see; you have done very wrong,
and must go and tell Miss Stella so at once, and if she is angry and
scolds you you must bear it,' she said decidedly.

'There was no harm in what I said, and--and, nursie, I simply can't tell
Stella!' cried Vava, as her postscript came into her mind.

Mrs. Morrison looked at her gravely. 'What did you say, my lamb? Tell
me,' she inquired.

Vava told her, as well as she could remember, all that she had said in
the letter.

A grim look of amusement came over the good woman's face; but she turned
away and poked the fire to prevent Vava seeing it, and when she turned
round again she was quite grave as she replied, with a shake of her
head, 'You should not have said that about Mr. Montague Jones being
"horrid," you let your pen run on too fast, and you should not have
written that bit about Miss Stella, and you may well say that she will
be annoyed. But for all that, you must tell her what was in the letter,
and it will be a lesson to you to mind what you write in future.'

Vava groaned, but went off obediently and told Stella, who listened in
silence till she came to the postscript, whereat she gave an
exclamation; but all she said when Vava had finished was, 'I am glad you
told me, for I think I can prevent Mr. Jones getting that letter. I was
so busy this morning that I forgot that to-day was Saturday, and that
consequently the letter would not arrive any sooner than myself on
Monday morning; so that you need not have written at all.'

'But, Stella, what will you do? You can't take away a letter addressed
to Mr. Jones. The clerks may tell him how many there were, and he would
miss it,' protested Vava.

'I have no intention of touching Mr. Jones's corresp