of whom we have heard
much from the respected Madame Pace," he added with a mischievous
twinkle.

"Heavens, how must I behave if Mrs. Pace has already given me a
character?" exclaimed Judy. "Must I be as she says I am, or must I be as
she wants me to be?"

"Be yourself, and you will be as we want you," said the marchioness,
kindly. "Jean and Philippe do not have the chance to meet many American
girls and they do not, as a rule, care to meet Henny's boarders, who are
usually dry-as-dust old maids, especially the ones Henny recommends."

"Oh, please don't change yourselves, any of you," begged Philippe in a
voice and accent so southern that it was amusing coming from a veritable
Frenchman. "All my life, I have longed to meet some of my cousins and to
hear more of the Kentucky stories, and of Chatsworth and the Carmichael
place. Does Cousin Sarah Carmichael, Mrs. Clay, I believe she is now,
still take the biggest piece of cake, and are the beech trees as
beautiful as they were when my mother used to play under them with you,
Cousin Mildred?"

"Oh, Philippe, you should not tell tales out of school! Sarah is Milly's
sister and she might not like the cake reminiscences. Sarah was mighty
grabby, though, wasn't she, Milly? I am afraid she will never forgive me
for getting the legacy from Aunt Sarah Carmichael. You see we were both
named for her and Sarah naturally expected an equal division if not the
'biggest piece of cake,' and when the whole fifty thousand came to me,
it was a sad blow to Sarah. But she was quite comfortable and Jean and I
were the needy members of the family, as far as money went. That was all
we did need as we had everything else," and the marchioness laid her
hand lightly on her husband's bushy hair whence he gently drew it down
to his cheek.

Mrs. Brown could not help smiling over Sister Clay and the big piece of
cake. She remembered how the two Sarahs had always been at daggers
drawn. Her sister was much older than Sally Bolling and had always been
critical of the lively girl who had repaid her by laughing at her and
cracking jokes at her expense.

"Yes indeed, Philippe, the beeches are even more beautiful having had
some years since then to grow. Trees are one of the things that improve
with age. I hope you will come to Kentucky and make us a long visit and
see all of your kin and their homes," said Mrs. Brown cordially.

"That would be fine, if the mother and father could come, too. You don't