ly
object, being nothing more nor less than a dead earthworm which had
been found on the walk, and which Diana respected, as she did all live
creatures, great or small.

"Put it down there," said Iris; "we can have a funeral when the sun is
not quite so hot."

"I suppose it will have a private funeral," said Apollo, who came into
the summer-house at that moment. "It is nothing but a poor innocent,
and not worth a great deal of trouble; and I do hope, Iris," he added
eagerly, "that you will not expect me to be present, for I have got
some most important chemical experiments which I am anxious to go on
with. I quite hope to succeed with my thermometer to-day, and, after
all, as it is only a worm----"

Iris looked up at him with very solemn eyes.

"_Only_ a worm," she repeated. "Is _that_ its fault, poor thing?"
Apollo seemed to feel the indignant glance of Iris' brown eyes. He sat
down submissively on his own chair. Orion and Diana dropped on their
knees by Iris' side. "I think," said Iris slowly, "that we will give
this poor innocent a simple funeral. The coffin must be made of dock
leaves, and----"

Here she was suddenly interrupted--a shadow fell across the entrance
door of the pretty summer-house. An elderly woman, with a thin face
and lank, figure, looked in.

"Miss Iris," she said, "Mrs. Delaney is awake and would be glad to see
you."

"Mother!" cried Iris eagerly. She turned at once to her sister and
brothers. "The innocent must wait," she said. "Put it in the
dead-house with the other creatures. I will attend to the funeral in
the evening or to-morrow. Don't keep me now, children."

"But I thought you had just come from mother," said Apollo.

"No. When I went to her she was asleep. Don't keep me, please." The
woman who had brought the message had already disappeared down the
long straight walk. Iris took to her heels and ran after her.
"Fortune," she said, looking into her face, "is mother any better?"

"As to that, Miss Iris, it is more than I can tell you. Please don't
hold on to my hand, miss. In hot weather I hate children to cling to
me."

Iris said nothing more, but she withdrew a little from Fortune's side.

Fortune hurried her steps, and Iris kept time with her. When they
reached the house, the woman stopped and looked intently at the child.

"You can go straight upstairs at once, miss, and into the room," she
said. "You need not knock; my mistress is waiting for you."

"Don't you think,