her chair.

Our Uncle Peter had to get a glass of water to un-swoon her.

I ran for a fan. It bursted my garter. When our Uncle Peter tried to
mend it he swore instead.

The Lady came out of her swoon without an instant's hesitation.

"Here at least," she said, "is something that I know enough to do."

Her mouth was full of scorn and pins. It was with pins that she knew
enough to do it.

Our Uncle Peter looked very humble.

The Lady patted my knees.

"Little girls are so much easier to manage than little boys," she said.
"I don't seem to understand little boys."

"Nor big boys either!" said our Uncle Peter. He said it with gruffness.
It sounded cross.

"Perhaps I--don't want to understand them," said the Lady.

Our Uncle Peter's cheeks got sort of red.

"Suit yourself, my dear Madam," he said and started for the door. He
picked up my hat and put it on Carol's head.--Carol's head looked pretty
astonished. He took Carol's cap and put it on my head. He handed us our
coats upside down.--All our pennies and treasures fell out on the floor.
He snatched up the little boy's gloves by mistake and thrust them into
his own pockets.

The Lady collected everything again and re-distributed them. She seemed
to think it was funny. Not very funny but just a little. She looked at
Carol sort of specially.

"Oh my dear Child," she said. "I hope you didn't mind because Dicky
called you a 'Silence'?"

Carol did mind. He minded very much. I could tell by the way he carried
his ears. They looked very stately. Our Uncle Peter whirled round in the
door-way. His ears looked pretty stately too.

"All the men in our family," he said, "aim to meet the exigencies of
life--sensibly."

The Lady seemed to consider the fact quite a long time before she smiled
again.

"Oh very well," she said. "If the Uncle really is as sensible as the
nephew perhaps he will consent to leave the children here with me
to-night--instead of bearing them off to the confusion and general
mis-button-ness of hotels."

Our Uncle Peter's face fairly burst into relief.

"Oh, do you really mean that?" he cried. "It IS their infernal buttons
that makes most of the worry!--And their prayers?--What IS the
difference anyway between a morning and an evening prayer?--And this
awful responsibility about cereals? And how in the world do you make
sure about their necks?"

"Oh those are the things I know perfectly," said the Lady. "All the nice
gentle in-door thi