.

"I don't know; I don't quite like the look of him, and he coughs such a
lot. It seems as though he could not shake off that chill he got in the
trenches. That's why he hasn't been to call at the Rectory."

"I hope this beautiful weather will cure him," Barbara replied rather
doubtfully, for she had heard a bad report of George Arnott's health.
Then to change the subject she added, "Do you know, we had a visitor
yesterday, Aunt Maria in the flesh, in a great deal of flesh, as Janey
says."

"Do you mean Lady Thompson?"

She nodded.

"Aunt Thompson and her footman and her pug dog. Thank goodness, she only
stayed to tea, as she had a ten mile drive back to her hotel. As it was,
lots of things happened."

"What happened?"

"Well, first when she got out of the carriage, covered with jet anchor
chains--for you know Uncle Samuel died only three months ago and left
her all his money--she caught sight of our heads staring at her out of
the drawing-room window, and asked father if he kept a girls' school.
Then she made mother cry by remarking that she ought to be thankful to
Providence for having taken to its bosom the four of us who died young
--you know she has no children herself and so can't feel about them.
Also father was furious because she told him that at least half of us
should have been boys. He turned quite pink and said:

"'I have been taught, Lady Thompson, that these are matters which God
Almighty keeps in His own hands, and to Him I must refer you.'

"'Good gracious! don't get angry,' she answered. 'If you clergymen can
cross-examine your Maker, I am not in that position. Besides, they are
all very good-looking girls who may find husbands, if they ever see a
man. So things might have been worse.'

"Then she made remarks about the tea, for Uncle Samuel was a
tea-merchant; and lastly that wicked Janey sent the footman to take
the pug dog to walk past the butcher's shop where the fighting terrier
lives. You can guess the rest."

"Was the pug killed?" asked Anthony.

"No, though the poor thing came back in a bad way. I never knew before
that a pug's tail was so long when it is quite uncurled. But the footman
looked almost worse, for he got notice on the spot. You see he went into
the 'Red Dragon' and left the pug outside."

"And here endeth Aunt Maria and all her works," said Anthony, who wanted
to talk of other things.

"No, not quite."

He looked at her, for there was meaning in her voice.

"