d enough to guess that Mother Rodesia was a bad sort of
woman, and that she, Diana, had done wrong ever to trust herself to
her. Uncle Ben, too, in spite of her brave words, terrified her more
or less. All things considered, therefore, she would not have been at
all sorry to find herself back again at the Rectory, with Miss Ramsay
to teach her, and Aunt Jane hovering in the background. "Isn't it
funny, we has got our nightdwesses on?" she said suddenly. "Woman,
it's not pwoper to have our bekfus in our nightdwesses; and these are
such keer nightdwesses, not at all what they ought to be. Our mother
would not like us to be dwessed in this sort of style. Can you get our
day dwesses, p'ease, for us to put on, Aunt Sawah?"

"No; I can't get the dresses you wore yesterday," replied Aunt Sarah;
"but for all that you shall wear a very pretty little frock. I have
got a blue one for you with white wings. What do you say to that?"

"B'ue, with white wings?" echoed Diana. "It sounds pwetty; but I must
have a b'ack bow, p'ease, woman, 'cos our mother has gone away to the
angels, you underland; and when mothers go to the angels little girls
wear b'ack bows--at least, that's what Iris says. Oh, I say, Orion,"
suddenly concluded Diana; "what is we to do without Iris? She is our
little mother now. You underland what I mean; doesn't you, Orion?"

The only answer Orion made was to fling himself flat down on the floor
and begin to howl with all his might.

"You had best not do that, young sir," said Aunt Sarah, "for if Uncle
Ben hears he'll be awful angry. He is a terrible man when he's
angered. It's only right I should tell you the solemn truth, you poor
little kids."

"We isn't kids; we is sildrens," said Diana.

"Well, you poor little children, then. Now, young master, if you'll
take my advice, you'll do exactly what I tell you. I'm going to be a
friend to you and to your little sister. I'll give you, by hook or by
crook, the very best food I can get, and the prettiest dresses to
wear, and I'll see that my husband, Ben Holt, aint rough to you, and
I'll see, also, that Molly and Kitty and Susan, the circus girls, are
kind to you, and that Tom, the clown, behaves as he ought; but I can
do nothing if you won't obey me. And if you begin by angering Uncle
Ben, why, it'll be all up with you, my little dears."

"I don't know what you mean by all up," answered Diana, her eyes
sparkling brightly; "and what's more, I don't care. But I'd li