chen door.

"I _knew_ you'd forget something," said Mary triumphantly. "What a good
idea it was of mine to have a list!"

Jackie soon came back with a knobbly-looking canvas bag in his hand, and
followed by Fraulein Schnipp the German governess.

"I say," he said, "we've forgotten Fraulein's camp-stool and sketching
things; and she says she can't go without them."

"Well," said Jennie in a low tone, "I don't believe you can get them in.
I should think she might carry them herself."

"Don't," said Patrick with a nudge of his elbow; "you'll make her cry."

It was a puzzling habit that Fraulein had, to weep silently at
unexpected moments, and say her feelings were hurt. This was so
distressing that the children were always anxious to avoid it if
possible. She stood looking on now with a pleased smile, grasping her
camp-stool, and understanding very little of the chatter going on round
her. Fraulein was very good-natured looking, with large soft blue eyes
and a quantity of frizzy fair hair.

At last the packing was done; camp-stool, sketching-books, and three
small children on the top of everything. Rice would have to walk by the
side of the cart. It really was a wonderfully hot day, and there was
scarcely any shade; the donkey went even slower than usual, and by the
time they reached Maskells the whole party was rather exhausted--
Fraulein more so than anyone, and she sank at once on the ground under
some beech-trees opposite the house. It was in this spot that the cart
was always unpacked, the cloth laid, and dinner spread. Later on in the
day a fire was made here to boil the kettle for tea, but until then the
children were free to roam about and do as they liked.

As Jackie had said, Fraulein was anxious to make a sketch of the old
house, and after dinner was over and she had a little recovered from her
fatigue she planted her camp-stool conveniently and set to work. The
children knew now that neither she nor Rice would be "in the way" that
afternoon; they were both comfortably settled and would not be likely to
stir for hours.

But it was almost too hot to play, and the games went on languidly until
four o'clock, when it began to get cooler, and there were pleasant
shadows round about.

"We ought to begin to pick up wood," said the careful Agatha, "or the
fire won't be ready for tea-time."

"Well, we'll just have one game of hide-and-seek first," said Jackie;
and so it was agreed.

Agatha hid fir