opid!" agreed Alaric. "Doocid stoopid."

Ethel said nothing. The one thought that was passing through her mind
was: "How much did that girl hear Brent say and how much did she see
Mr. Brent do?"

Hawkes tried to smooth the misunderstanding out.

"I am afraid it was all my fault," he explained. "I told her not to
talk. To just say that she was to wait. I wanted to have an opportunity
to explain matters before introducing her."

"She should have been brought straight to me," complained Mrs.
Chichester. "The poor thing." Then with a feeling of outraged pride she
said: "My niece in kitchen. A Kingsnorth mistaken for a servant!"

The door opened and Jarvis came into the room. There was a look of
half-triumph on his face as much as to say: "Now who would not make a
mistake like that? Who could tell this girl was your niece?"

He beckoned Peg to come into the room.

Then the Chichester family received the second shock they had
experienced that day--one compared with which the failure of the bank
paled into insignificance. When they saw the strange, shabby,
red-haired girl slouch into the room, with her parcels and that
disgraceful-looking dog, they felt the hand of misfortune had indeed
fallen upon them.

CHAPTER V

PEGS MEETS HER AUNT

As Peg wandered into the room Mrs. Chichester and Alaric looked at her
in horrified amazement.

Ethel took one swift glance at her and then turned her attention to
"Pet."

Jarvis looked reproachfully at Mrs. Chichester as much as to say: "What
did I tell you?" and went out.

Alaric whispered to his mother:

"Oh, I say, really, you know--it isn't true! It CAN'T be."

"Pet" suddenly saw "Michael" and began to bark furiously at him.
"Michael" responded vigorously until Peg quieted him.

At this juncture Mr. Hawkes came forward and, taking Peg gently by the
arm, reassured her by saying:

"Come here, my dear. Come here. Don't be frightened. We're all your
friends."

He brought Peg over to Mrs. Chichester, who was staring at her with
tears of mortification in her eyes. When Peg's eyes met her aunt's she
bobbed a little curtsey she used to do as a child whenever she met a
priest or some of the gentle folk.

Mrs. Chichester went cold when she saw the gauche act. Was it possible
that this creature was her sister Angela's child? It seemed incredible.

"What is your name?" she asked sternly.

"Peg, ma'am."

"What?"

"Sure me name's Peg, ma'am," and she bobbed anothe