t I wouldn't let him.
That's Father, with his fishing-rod, proudly holding up a good catch;
and that is Mother pouring out tea on the lawn, with Zelica on her
knee."

"Is it a rabbit?" I enquired.

"No, it's a Persian cat. Uncle Bertram brought her home really from
Persia, so we christened her out of 'Lalla Rookh'. Are you fond of
pets?"

"We haven't any at Aunt Agatha's, but I used to keep a few when I was at
home. I had two green parrots, a monkey, and a terrapin; and once Tasso
brought me a tiny baby puma from the forest. It was the sweetest little
thing, with soft yellow fur, and it purred just like a kitten. But
Father wouldn't let me keep it; he thought it would be so dangerous when
it grew up. So he sent it to the Zoo at Monte Video."

"Tell me all about your life in South America. It is so interesting. I
want to hear what your house was like, and your black servants, and the
forest and the queer animals. Have you no pictures of them all?"

I had not, but I wrote at once to my father, who sent me a charming
series of views of the neighbourhood, and enough pocket-money with them
for me to be lavish in the matter of frames, so my walls were soon hung
with remembrances of my old home.

Our bedrooms at The Hollies were rather a feature of the school. They
were so arranged that the two little beds and the washstand could be
screened off by a curtain, leaving the rest as a sitting-room. A table
and two chairs stood in the window, and during the summer term we were
allowed to prepare our lessons here instead of in the school-room, a
privilege we much appreciated, but which was at once forfeited if we
were caught talking during the study hours. It was a point of honour for
each girl to make her bedroom as pretty as possible, and we vied with
one another in the way of photo-frames, artistic table-covers,
book-shelves, mats, and china ornaments. We were allowed to buy flowers
on Saturday mornings for our vases, and must have been quite a source of
income to the funny old man at a certain stall in the market, who kept
us plentifully supplied according to the season.

"What was you wantin'? Don't know 'em, leastways by that name," as I
enquired for lilacs. "Oh, ay, _loy_lacs! Here you have 'em, purple and
white, and no charge extry for smell. Roses? I can bring 'em next week,
both Glory Johns and Jack Minnots" (he meant Gloire de Dijon and
Jacqueminots!). "Sweet peas is gettin' on gradely, and Fair Maids o'
France,