She has one aunt, but no brothers or sisters. It must seem
strange not to have any," and Hanny glanced up.

"It would be strange to me. I had ten in all, and there is only one
dead. Eugene is the oldest of the second family. One married brother
lives in Baltimore, one only a short distance from here. And you have
six brothers,--a good supply for one little girl."

"I suppose some of them belong to Margaret," and she gave a soft,
rippling laugh. "We haven't ever divided them up. But Joe belongs to me.
When I get to be a woman, and he has a good big practice, I am going to
keep house for him."

"But what will your father do?"

"Why--" Hanny had not considered that point. "Oh, it won't be in a long
while! And then father will be old, and he will come and live with us, I
think. Dolly says she is going to have mother."

Mrs. French thought the division rather amusing.

"Where is Captain French gone now?"

"To China again. He has been going back and forth to Liverpool; but he
had an excellent offer for the long trip. I concluded not to go,
grandpa was so old and feeble. And my sister is coming to England to
live. Her husband is heir now to a fine estate and a title; and they
have quite a family of children."

"Then you will want to go to England to see her," said Hanny.

"Indeed, I shall. I have not seen her in seven years; since the time she
was here."

"We all liked Mr. Eugene so much," Hanny remarked. "And Luella has grown
so, I hardly knew her."

"They have a trick of growing up. I hope you won't be in any hurry."

"I am small of my age," and Hanny gave a soft sigh.

"It will take you a long time to get as large as your mother."

Hanny wasn't sure that she wanted to be quite so large. Yet she didn't
really want her mother changed. And, oh, she wouldn't have her as thin
as Mrs. Reed for all the world!

They had been walking around the paths that were clean and solid as a
floor. What beautiful plants and flowers there were! Strange things,
too, that Hanny had never seen before. Then the tea-bell rang, and they
came up to the rose garden, where Mrs. French broke off several partly
opened buds and pinned them on the little girl's bodice.

The dining-room windows opened on the porch, and they walked in that
way. It had a great beaufet with carved shelves and brackets going
nearly up to the ceiling, and full of the most curious articles Hanny
had ever seen. Then there was a cabinet in the corner containing r