the shore.

What a pity it was that she had spoilt the fresh beginning of being so
nice and good at her new lessons by being cross to Alie! And in her
heart Biddy knew that her sister had not blamed her without reason--it
was her old fault of heedlessness; she _was_ quite old enough to
understand that she should not have asked Celestina to invite her, and
she knew too that Celestina had been right in answering as she did. But
all these 'knowings in her heart' did not make Biddy feel more amiable.

'It's no good trying,' she said to herself as she got slowly down off
the wall--Bridget was always deliberate in her movements--'I'll just not
bother. I'll do my lessons, 'cos I don't want them to say I'm stupid,
but I'm not going to try not to be cross and all that. I'm tired of
trying.'

Mrs. Vane noticed at luncheon that Biddy was quiet and silent and not
particularly amiable looking, but Alie whispered that it had nothing to
do with lessons, which had gone off well.

'Don't notice her, mamma; it was only that she was vexed with me for
something,' Alie added; so nothing was said to Biddy, and she was
allowed to nurse her grievances in silence.

She cheered up a little by tea-time, and told Randolph triumphantly that
she had done all her lessons for Miss Neale 'by myself, without asking
that nasty cross Alie or nobody to help me.' But she remained very surly
to her sister, though Alie tried to prevent her father and mother
noticing it.

Next day was rainy and blowy. Miss Neale and Celestina arrived smothered
up in waterproofs and goloshes, and there was quite a bustle to get them
unpacked from their wrappings and warmed at the schoolroom fire. Biddy
made herself very important, and forgot for the time about being vexed
with Rosalys.

Lessons went off well, thanks to Bridget's putting a good deal of
control on herself, though there _were_ moments that morning which made
the young governess say to herself that she could understand its being
_sometimes_ true that Biddy was tiresome and trying. When Celestina was
putting on her hat and jacket to go she gave Biddy a little touch on the
arm.

'I asked mother,' she whispered, 'about what you said, and mother says
perhaps some day you would come early in the afternoon, and we could
play with the dolls and have tea for ourselves out of mother's toy cups
that she had when she was a little girl. They are so pretty. It wouldn't
be quite a real tea, for we don't have real tea