d Douglas, who stood by the roadside fluttering
handkerchiefs as a signal of farewell.

CHAPTER XX

Old England

The holiday in Sicily, like all pleasant things, came to an end at last,
and the Ingleton family, leaving the Casa Bianca with many regrets,
returned to their own country in time to welcome Roland, Bevis, and
Clifford back from school for Easter. Carmel, who had seemed keenly to
feel the parting from her mother, and who had been so quiet on the
journey that her cousins suspected a bad attack of homesickness, cheered
up when they were once more settled at the Chase. The beauties of the
English country-side, with plum-blossom, primroses, cowslips, green
meadows, and budding woodlands, compared very favorably with even the
lovely Sicilian landscape, and Carmel acknowledged frankly that
Cheverley had a charm all of its own.

"I never knew how much I loved it till I left it, and then saw it
again!" she declared. "There's something about the place that grips."

"Your Ingleton blood showing, of course," remarked Everard. "All your
ancestors have lived at the Chase, and it would be queer if you hadn't
some sort of a natural feeling for it. People mostly have for the place
where their ancestors were born."

"Indeed! I believe my ancestors were all of them born in bed, so no
doubt that's why I have such a natural feeling for bed, and don't want
to get up in the mornings!" piped Dulcie, who never could resist a quip
at Everard. "I don't despise Old England, but Sicily's the land for me,
and I'm going back to Montalesso some day. Aunt Nita says so! Lilias can
please herself, but, as soon as Mr. Bowden lets me leave school, I shall
say 'Ta-ta! I'm off to the land of oranges and lemons!'"

"And in the meantime you'll have to make up at school for this long
holiday," reminded Cousin Clare. "I'm afraid you'll find yourself
terribly behindhand when you get back to Chilcombe!"

The occupants of the Blue Grotto had much to talk about when they met
again.

"It was hateful having the dor. all to ourselves," confided Gowan. "We
never had such a slow time in our lives. We had a fearful scare, too! We
thought Miss Walters was going to put Laurette with us! She'd had a
terrible quarrel with Truie and Hester, and things were rather hot in
the Gold bedroom. Fortunately, however, they cooled down, and patched up
their quarrels. Bertha and I were simply shaking, though. I heard Miss
Walters say to Laurette: 'There's a