d pull you out
first, however sleepy I was. Only of course I know it _won't_, and it's
just my silly way, but when I'm as big as you, Sylvia, I'll get out of
it, I'm sure."

"You're as big as me now, you silly girl," said Sylvia laughingly, which
was true. Molly was tall and well-grown for her age, while Sylvia was
small, so that very often, to Molly's delight, they were taken for twins.

"In my body, but not in my mind," rejoined Molly, with a little sigh. "I
wish the growing would go into my mind for a little, though I wouldn't
like to be _much_ smaller than you, Sylvia. Perhaps we shouldn't be
dressed alike, then."

"Do be quiet, Molly, you are such an awful chatterbox," growled Ralph
from his corner. "I was just having a nice little nap."

He was far too "grown-up" to own to the eagerness with which, as they
went along, he had been furtively peeping out at the window beside
him--or to join in Molly's screams of delight at the brilliance of the
illumined shop windows, and the interminable perspective of gas lamps
growing longer and longer behind them as they rapidly made their way.

A sudden slackening of their speed, a sharp turn, and a rattle over the
stones, told of their arrival at their destination. And "Oh!" cried
Molly, "I _am_ so glad. Aren't you awfully hungry, Sylvia?"

And grandmother, who, to tell the truth, had been indulging in a
peaceful, _real_ little nap--not a sham one like Ralph's--quite woke up
at this, and told Molly it was the best sign in the world to be hungry
after a journey; she was delighted to find her so good a traveller.

The "dinner-tea" which, out of consideration for the children's home
hours, had been ordered for them, turned out delicious. Never had they
tasted such butter, such bread, such grilled chicken, and fried potatoes!
And to complete Molly's satisfaction the beds proved to have no tops to
them at all.

"I told you so," said Ralph majestically, when they had made the tour of
the various rooms and settled who was to have which, and though neither
Sylvia nor Molly had the slightest recollection of his "telling you so,"
they were wise enough to say nothing.

"But the little doors in the walls are quite as bad, or worse,"
Ralph continued mischievously. "There's one at the head of your bed,
Molly,"--Molly and Sylvia were to have two little beds in the same room,
standing in a sort of alcove--"which I am almost sure opens on to a
secret staircase."

Molly gave a little