nd enquired for Dad. I was a little wild
rough thing then, and I was simply scared to death at the sight of
strangers. I told them Dad was away. Then they asked if they might come
in, and the gentleman said he was my grandfather, and the lady was his
new wife, so that she was my step-grandmother. Now Mrs. Barker had
always rubbed it in to me that if I was left alone I must on no account
admit strangers. That was the only thing I could think of. I was in a
panic, and I slammed the door on them and bolted it, and then ran to the
window and pulled faces, hoping to make them go away. They stood for a
minute or two quite aghast, trying to get me to listen to reason through
the window, but I only grew more and more frightened, and called them
all the ugly names I could.

"'It's no use attempting to tame such a young savage,' said the lady at
last. Then they got into their car again and drove away.

"By the time Mrs. Barker arrived I was ashamed of myself, so I said
nothing about my adventure, and I never dared to tell Dad a word of it.
I suppose his father had come to hunt him up; but he was evidently
discouraged at the reception he had received at the farm, and went back
to England without making another attempt at a meeting. I don't believe
he and Dad ever wrote to each other from year's end to year's end. I
tried to forget this, but it stuck in my memory all the same. Time went
by, my friendship with you began, and it was decided that I should be
sent to The Woodlands. I knew my grandfather lived at Plas Cafn, for Dad
had told me about his old home, but I did not know it was so near to the
school. You ask why I did not tell the girls that I was related to Lord
Glyncraig? There were several reasons. In the first place, I was really
very much ashamed of my behaviour the day he had come to our farm. I
thought he had cast us off completely, and would not be at all pleased
to own me as granddaughter. I would not confess it to any of you, but I
felt so rough and uncouth when I compared myself with other girls that I
did not want Lord Glyncraig to see me, or to know that I was in the
neighbourhood. Perhaps some day, so I thought, I might grow more like
you, if I tried hard, and then it would be time enough to tell him of my
whereabouts. Then, because he had disowned us, I felt much too proud to
boast about the relationship at school. If you could not like me for
myself, I wouldn't make a bid for popularity on the cheap basis of