for Miss Neale to give her up to come to us.
And besides, both papa and I thought it would make our little girl
happier to have a companion--eh, Biddy?'

Mrs. Vane had hardly time to finish her sentence before she felt her
breath nearly taken away by a pair of fat little arms hugging her so
tightly that she could scarcely free her head.

'Mamma, mamma,' cried Biddy, 'I love you, I do really love you now. I
never thought I did so much. Oh, I am so glad. Thank you, dear mamma.'

Never in her life had Biddy been so affectionate; never, at least, had
she shown her affection so much. Mrs. Vane kissed her warmly.

'I am very pleased too, dear,' she said. 'I do think you will be a good
and happy little girl now.'

'I'll try to be good, mamma, I will really. But it would take me a
dreadfully long time to be as good as Celestina, I'm afraid.'

CHAPTER IX

A SECRET

'If the sun could tell us half
That he hears and sees,
Sometimes he would make us laugh,
Sometimes make us cry.'
CHRISTINA ROSSETTI.

'You must eat your breakfast properly, Celestina, my dear,' said Mrs.
Fairchild to her little daughter one morning in the following week. 'You
will be quite faint and tired before dinner-time if you don't, and that
would be a bad beginning.'

Celestina on this set to work once more on her bread and milk. She was
too excited to feel hungry; her pale cheeks had each a bright spot of
colour and her eyes were shining. It was the day on which she was to
begin her lessons at the Rectory. Miss Neale was to call for her on her
way there, and though she had three-quarters of an hour to wait till
Miss Neale came, the little girl was sure she would not be ready in
time.

'I never saw her so taken up with anything before,' said her mother; and
Mr. Fairchild, who was sometimes disposed to take rather a gloomy view
of things, said he hoped they should not regret having agreed to the
arrangement, and that it would not lead to disappointment, on which Mrs.
Fairchild set to work, as she always did, to cheer him up.

'It will give Celestina a little experience,' she said; 'and even if
there should be a little disappointment mixed up with it in any way, it
will do her no harm, and Celestina is a reasonable child.'

She was very quiet but very happy as she set off with Miss Neale. It was
a bright pleasant morning, 'quite spring-like,' said the young
governess,