go
to bed.

The next morning the ankle was much better, but, at his host's
instigation, the young fellow despatched a note to his mother, telling
her not to expect him home for a few days, as Mr Bertrand wished him to
stay until he was better able to bear the long, hilly drive.

The girls discussed the situation as they settled down to finish the
much disliked mending in the afternoon. "It's very annoying," Hilary
said. "I do hope he won't be long in getting better. We were going to
London on Monday week, but if he is still here we shall have to wait,
and I hate having things postponed."

"I wish he had been a girl," said Norah, who came in for so much teasing
from her two brothers during the holidays that she did not welcome the
idea of having another boy in the house. "We could have had such fun
together, and perhaps she might have asked us to stay with her some day.
I should love to pay visits! I wonder if father will take us up to
London in turns, now that he has begun. I do hope he will, for it would
be great fun staying in Kensington. I remember Miss Carr when we were
in London; she was a funny old thing, but I liked her awfully. She was
often cross, but after she had scolded for about five minutes, she used
to repent, and give us apples. She will give you apples, Hilary, if you
are very good!"

Hilary screwed up her little nose with an expression of disdain. Apples
were not much of a treat to people who had an orchard at home, and she
had outgrown the age of childish joy at the gift of such trifles.
Before she could speak, however, the door burst open, and Raymond
precipitated himself into the room. He was a big, broad fellow of
sixteen, for he and Lettice were twins, though widely differing in
appearance. Raymond had a flat face, thickly speckled over with
freckles, reddish brown hair, and a pair of brown eyes which fairly
danced with mischief. It was safe to prophesy that in less than two
minutes from the time that he entered the room where his sisters were
sitting, they would all three be shrieking aloud in consternation, and
the present instance was no exception to the rule. It was very simply
managed. He passed one hand over the table where lay the socks and
stockings which had been paired by Hilary's industrious fingers, and
swept them, helter-skelter, on the floor. He nudged Norah's elbow, so
that the needle which she was threading went deep into her fingers, and
chucked Lettice under