to her the last
time she was out!

"Where shall we go?" demanded Tom, tugging at Alexia's hand.

"Want to go an' see Mrs. Yeslie," murmured Maggie.

"I'm going to look at the shops," declared Floss with emphasis. "I can
spend my shilling if I want to, Uncle George said!"

"No, no--not to-day," demurred the governess, quickly. "Listen,
children. The shops you can see any day--to-morrow, perhaps; but to-day
we will go somewhere else."

"Where else?" demanded Floss, critically, with a fond look at the
shilling which he had drawn out of his knickerbocker pocket.

"Into the park," said Alexia. "We will all ride there in a tram-car.
You will like that?"

"Finsbury Park?" questioned Tom. "Oh, all right! I don't mind. Only, I
say, let's go up to the water where the ducks are!"

"Yes--let's," added Floss, restoring the shilling to his pocket.

"Want's some buns to feed 'em wiv, poor fings," murmured Maggie, with
pathetic intonation.

"Yes, you shall go [to] the water and have the buns," said Alexia. She
had been walking rapidly all this time--almost too rapidly for the
little feet trotting beside her--and did not pause or speak until they
reached Highbury Corner, which was more crowded and busy than usual
this warm afternoon. A tram-car was waiting, and she hurried her
charges into it, taking no heed of Tom's desire to sit where he could
see the horses, or of Floss's loudly-expressed determination to ride on
the roof. She took her seat, and, leaning back, drew her black gossamer
veil tightly over her face, and closed her eyes, seeming to become
totally oblivious of her surroundings.

Ellen, sitting with Maggie on her knee, distracted by Tom's ceaseless
questions upon the one side and by Floss's incessant demands to be put
out on the roof upon the other, felt a little sulky and injured. Really
it was too bad of mademoiselle! If she came out with the children she
might at least take her share in amusing and keeping them quiet. Ellen,
at any rate, was not sorry when the park-gates were reached. A
plentiful supply of buns was procured, and the children, with shrill
screams and whoops of delight, started off for the ducks and the water.

"Oh, dear," cried the nursemaid, quite dismayed at suddenly finding
herself alone with the governess, "they'll lose themselves, Ma'm'selle!
There's such a many other children about we shall never find 'em."

"Keep them in sight, then," said Alexia. "Follow them, Ellen. You had
better