. Where did you go?"

"We drove in the park, and along the avenue," said King, uncertain
whether to mention the soda water episode or not.

But Marjorie's frankness impelled her to tell the story, "We stopped at a
drug shop, Grandma, on our way home, and had soda water," she said; "I
hope you don't mind."

"You stopped at a drug shop!" exclaimed Grandma Maynard. "You four
children alone!"

"We weren't alone," explained Marjorie "Parker went in with us, and he
paid for it. Wasn't it all right, Grandma?"

"No; children ought not to go in a shop without older people with them."

"But Parker is older than we are," said Kitty, who was of a literal
nature.

"Don't be impertinent, Kitty," said her grandmother. "I do not refer to
servants."

Now Kitty had not had the slightest intention of being impertinent, and
so the reproof seemed a little unfair.

Unable to control her indignation, when she saw Kitty's feelings were
hurt, Marjorie tried to justify her sister.

"Kitty didn't mean that for impertinence, Grandma Maynard," she said. "We
didn't know it wasn't right to go for soda water alone, for we always do
it at home. The only thing that bothered me was because I didn't have the
money to pay for it."

"The money is of no consequence, child; and I suppose you do not know
that in the city, children cannot do quite the same as where you live.
However, we will say no more about the matter."

This was a satisfactory termination of the subject, but Grandma's manner
was not pleasant, and the children felt decidedly uncomfortable.

Their own parents had listened to the discussion in silence, but now
their father said, "Don't be too hard on them, Mother; they didn't mean
to do anything wrong. And they are good children, if not very
conventional ones."

But Grandma Maynard only said, "We need not refer to the matter again,"
and then she told the children to go to their supper, which was ready
for them.

As the four sat down to a prettily-appointed table, they were not a happy
looking crowd. Rosamond was too young to understand what it was all
about, but she knew that the other three were depressed and that was a
very unusual state of things.

"I don't want any supper," began Kitty, but this speech was too much for
King. Kitty was very fond of good things to eat, and for her to lose her
appetite was comical indeed!

A pleasant-faced maid waited on them, and when Kitty saw the creamed
sweet-breads and fresh peas an