ecy.
"Don't you ever dare to tell any one what I have told you!" he said
sternly. "Promise, honour bright. Mind Mike, if you do, I'll--I'll--
well, you'll soon find out who comes after sneaks!"

"Be quiet, Paul. How dare you? You are not to frighten him like that,"
cried Stella indignantly. "Mikey is not a sneak, and you ought not to
tell stories about bogies coming. You know there aren't any."

"Frighten!" retorted Paul; "he _must_ be a coward if that frightens him,"
but he had the grace to look ashamed.

"You meant to frighten him," said Stella stoutly; "you know you did, and
you are very mean."

Paul tried to turn the conversation. He felt ashamed of himself, and did
not like the feeling at all. "Well, if you want to know why we are not
going to Norway, you had better go and ask mother. I mustn't tell you
what father told me, so it is no use to try to make me."

"Is mother--is mother unhappy about it, Paul?"

"I should just think she is, and father too."

"Did daddy cry?" asked Michael, his big eyes growing bigger with awe.

"Cry! Men don't cry; but mother did."

At which Stella's little heart overflowed with love, and her eyes filled
with tears. "I'm going to see her," she said tearfully. "She mustn't be
sad. I'll tell her it doesn't matter a bit, we don't mind not going.
I don't want to go for a cruise. I'd quite as soon stay at home, and--I
can take care of Michael, or I can dust, or--or--" The rest of her
sentence was lost as she rushed out of the nursery and down to her
mother's room.

"Mother!" she cried, flinging herself into her arms, and clasping her
round the neck. "Mummy, dear, I am so sorry; but we don't mind the least
little bit. We don't want to have any holiday at all this year, only
don't you cry any more, mummy darling," and she kissed her again and
again, striving all she knew to make up to her for the trouble which had
befallen them.

CHAPTER III.

PAUL'S HOPES RISE.

A few days later Paul returned to school, and Stella and Michael settled
down to lessons at home with their governess. They missed their elder
brother very much, for though he domineered over them a good deal, they
looked up to him as a hero, and a very splendid fellow, and they felt sad
and lonely when he went back to school.

At first Paul, too, felt very miserable, and out of spirits. When it came
to leaving his home he felt more real sorrow for the trouble they were in
than he had at all,