here shall she go? Will you take her?"

"I? Certainly not," declared Kate, with decision. "I'm sure I see no
reason why I should."

"No more do I see why William should, either," cut in Cyril.

"Oh, come, what's the use," interposed Bertram. "Let her stay. She's a
nice little thing, I'm sure."

Cyril and Kate turned sharply.

"Bertram!" The cry was a duet of angry amazement. Then Kate added: "It
seems that you, too, have come under the sway of dark eyes, pink cheeks,
and an unknown quantity of curly hair!"

Bertram laughed.

"Oh, well, she would be nice to--er--paint," he murmured.

"See here, children," demurred William, a little sternly, "all this is
wasting time. There is no way out of it. I wouldn't be seen turning that
homeless child away now. We must keep her; that's settled. The question
is, how shall it be done? We must have some woman friend here to be her
companion, of course; but whom shall we get?"

Kate sighed, and looked her dismay. Bertram threw a glance into Cyril's
eyes, and made an expressive gesture.

"You see," it seemed to say. "I told you how it would be!"

"Now whom shall we get?" questioned William again. "We must think."

Unattached gentlewomen of suitable age and desirable temper did not
prove to be so numerous among the Henshaws' acquaintances, however, as
to make the selection of a chaperon very easy. Several were thought of
and suggested; but in each case the candidate was found to possess
one or more characteristics that made the idea of her presence utterly
abhorrent to some one of the brothers. At last William expostulated:

"See here, boys, we aren't any nearer a settlement than we were in the
first place. There isn't any woman, of course, who would exactly suit
all of us; and so we shall just have to be willing to take some one who
doesn't."

"The trouble is," explained Bertram, airily, "we want some one who will
be invisible to every one except the world and Billy, and who will be
inaudible always."

"I don't know but you are right," sighed William. "But suppose we settle
on Aunt Hannah. She seems to be the least objectionable of the lot,
and I think she'd come. She's alone in the world, and I believe the
comfortable roominess of this house would be very grateful to her after
the inconvenience of her stuffy little room over at the Back Bay."

"You bet it would!" murmured Bertram, feelingly; but William did not
appear to hear him.

"She's amiable, fairly sensible, a