om on Saturday afternoon, while the others were amusing
themselves with reading, painting, or sewing.

"What a quiet set you are!" she raged. "Anyone would take you for 'Miss
Pinkerton's Academy for Young Ladies'! Why can't you wake up? This is
the dullest hole I've ever been in in my life. Magsie, stop that eternal
sewing, and be sporty! You look like a model for 'gentle maidenhood'. I
want to stick a pin into you, to see what would happen."

"Draw it mild, Stars and Stripes," answered Magsie, biting off the end
of her cotton. "And be careful about experiments with pins, or something
more may happen than you quite bargain for."

"I don't care! Anything for an excitement! I want some fun, and there'll
be a shindy if I don't get it. Wendy! Vi! Sadie! Do brace up and be
sports! Let's go on the upper landing and let off steam. It's better
than moping here."

Diana, by sheer force of will, carried the day, detached her friends
from their several occupations, and bore them, three steps at a time, up
the stairs to the top story. The upper landing was long, and had a
polished oak floor; it looked gloomy on this wet afternoon, and the rain
made a continual patter on the roof. In Diana's eyes, however, it
afforded a field for enterprise.

"I've a gorgeous idea!" she purred. "We'll pretend the floor's a
skating-rink. I've borrowed Loveday's roller skates, and we'll take it
in turns."

That roller skates were hardly meant for indoor amusement did not occur
to the girls. They agreed with enthusiasm. In order to share the
pleasure Vi and Sadie each buckled one on, and began a series of glides,
punctuated by pushes from the other foot. Wendy and Magsie, not to be
outdone, began to slide down the polished floor, and Tattie, who had
powers of invention, fetched a cake of soap and a sponge, and perfected
their activities by making a slippery course along the boards.

"It's like Alpine sports," exulted Wendy, taking a turn with one of the
skates, and skimming at top speed. "Can't you just imagine you're in
Switzerland? I want to make snowballs. Oh! why can't we do some
toboganning? I'd like to go tearing down a hill on a bob-sleigh. It
would be priceless."

"You shall do next best to it, my child," said Diana cheerily. "Trust
your granny to find the way for you. I've coasted indoors before now.
Wait a second, and you'll see!"

She disappeared, and in a short time returned with her drawing-board.

"You just squat on this," she