ere announced--father, mother, and daughter.

Barbara was agreeably surprised--as indeed she often was by the Loires'
friends--to find that they were so nice. The mother and daughter were
both very fashionably dressed, but simple and frank, the father,
however, being most attractive to Barbara. He was clever and amusing,
and contradicted Mademoiselle Therese in such an audacious way, that
had it been any one else, she would have retired to her bedroom
offended for a week. The visit passed most successfully, Mademoiselle
Loire's cooking being quite as much appreciated as she had expected,
and when the visitors said good-bye, Barbara left the sisters
congratulating themselves on their success.

A few days later the final word was added to the truce between the
sisters by Mademoiselle Therese proposing that _she_ should stay at
home and look after the house, while her sister took Barbara and Marie
for a visit to Cancale, whose beauties, Mademoiselle Therese assured
Barbara, had a world-wide renown.

But the elder sister, though obviously pleased by the suggestion,
thought she would rather "Therese" went, while she stayed in St. Servan
and paid a few calls that she was desirous of making.

After much discussion it was so determined, and the following day
Mademoiselle Therese, with the two girls, set off after lunch by the
train. The ride was a pleasant one, and the magnificent view of the
Bay of Cancale with the Mont St. Michel in the distance delighted
Barbara's heart. She much preferred the quaint little fishing village,
La Houle, nestling at the foot of the cliffs, to the more fashionable
quarter of the town; but Mademoiselle Therese, who was bent on "seeing
the fashions of the visitors," led the way with energy to the hotel
half way up the cliff. It was certainly gay enough there, and the
Frenchwoman explained to her pupil "that if one noticed the costumes at
seaside resorts it often saved buying fashion-books."

They sat on the terrace, mademoiselle and Marie dividing their
attention between a stout lady, in a gorgeous toilet of purple trimmed
with blue, and oysters, which, the Frenchwoman assured Barbara, were
"one of the beauties of the place." But the latter contented herself
with tea, wondering idly, as she drank it, why the beverage so often
tasted of stewed hay. After their refreshment they strolled round the
town, and then sat upon the promenade, watching the sun travel slowly
down the sky towards t