, he limped into the children's room, on his usually bright face
the first shadow they had seen. Bella was already seated at her table.
Her six weeks in the country had sent her back, longer, slimmer, her
skirt let down at the hem an inch, and some pretence to order in her
hair. The dark mass of her hair was lifted back, held by a round comb;
Bella was much transformed.

"Hello, honey," cried her cousin, "what have you been changing into?"

"What do you think of my back comb, Cousin Antony? It's the fourth. I've
broken three. All cheap, luckily, not the best quality."

Bella took the comb from her hair and handed it to Antony, and,
unprisoned, her locks fell triumphantly around her face.

"I like you better that way, little cousin," said Fairfax, "and,"
continued the drawing master, "you've a wonderful new pair of shoes,
Bella!"

The little leg was encased in a light blue silk stocking, and the
perfect little foot, whose rosy curves and lines Fairfax knew, was
housed in a new blue kid shoe with shining white buttons, entirely out
of keeping with the dear old red dress which, to Fairfax, seemed part of
Bella Carew.

"Dancing school," she said briefly; "mother promised us we might go ages
ago, long before you came, Cousin Antony."

"About ten years ago, I fink," said Gardiner helpfully.

"Nonsense," corrected his sister sharply, "but long enough ago for
_these_ to grow too small." She held up her pretty foot. "We got as far
as the shoes and stockings (real silk, Cousin Antony, feel). Aren't they
perfectly _beautiful_? We didn't _dare_, because of the bills, get the
dress, you know, so I guess mother's been waiting for better times. But
just as soon as I came back from the country and they let out the hem
and bought the comb, I said to Gardiner, 'There, my dancing shoes will
be too small.'" She leant down and pinched the toes. "They _do_
squeeze." She crinkled up her eyes and pursed up the little red mouth.
"They pinch awfully, but I'm going to wear them to drawing lessons, if I
can't to dancing lessons. See," she smoothed out her drawing board and
pointed to her queer lines, "I have drawn some old things for you, a
couple of squares and a triangle."

Fairfax listened, amused; the problems of his life were vital, she could
not distract him. He took the rubber, erasing her careless work, sat
down by her and began to give her real instruction. Little Gardiner,
excused from all study, amused himself after his own fa