ry
must be left below, as the leads were a forbidden place for him. So
Harry went to Jane, to see her dish up greengage plums which he must not
touch: and Hugh ran up the stairs. As he passed through the passage,
his mother called him. Full of some kind of hope (he did not himself
know what), he entered the parlour, and saw Mr Tooke's eyes fixed on
him. But his mother only wanted him to shut the door as he passed; that
was all. It had stood open, as it usually did on warm days. Could his
mother wish it shut on account of anything she was saying? It was
possible.

"O Hugh!" exclaimed Agnes, as soon as he set foot on the leads. "What
do you think?--But is the parlour-door shut? Who shut it?"

"Mother bade me shut it, as I passed."

"O dear!" said Agnes, in a tone of disappointment; "then she did not
mean us to hear what they were talking about."

"What was it? Anything about the Crofton boys? Anything about Phil?"

"I cannot tell you a word about it. Mamma did not know I heard them.
How plain anyone can hear what they say in that parlour, Hugh, when the
door is open! What do you think I heard mamma tell Mrs Bicknor, last
week, when I was jumping Harry off the third stair?"

"Never mind that. Tell me what they are talking about now. Do, Agnes."

Agnes shook her head.

"Now do, dear."

It was hard for Agnes to refuse Hugh anything, at any time; more still
when he called her "dear," which he seldom did; and most of all when he
put his arm round her neck, as he did now. But she answered--

"I should like to tell you every word; but I cannot now. Mamma has made
you shut the door. She does not wish you to hear it."

"Me! Then will you tell Jane?"

"Yes. I shall tell Jane, when we are with mamma at work."

"That is too bad!" exclaimed Hugh, flinging himself down on the leads so
vehemently that his sister was afraid he would roll over into the yard.
"What does Jane care about Crofton and the boys to what I do?"

"There is one boy there that Jane cares about more than you do, or I, or
anybody, except papa and mamma. Jane loves Phil."

"O, then, what they are saying in the parlour is about Phil."

"I did not say that."

"You pretend you love me as Jane loves Phil! And now you are going to
tell her what you won't tell me! Agnes, I will tell you everything I
know all my whole life, if you will just whisper this now. Only just
whisper.--Or, I will tell you what. I will guess and guess; and