ternoon?' said Miss Marcia. 'Perhaps
she does not care so much about games and romping as you do?'

'No, she doesn't,' replied Frances, bluntly. 'This afternoon she's gone
with Aunt Alison to the girls' club.'

'Very nice,' said Miss Scarlett, approvingly. 'Jacinth is a thoughtful
girl and older than her years, in some ways. Is she interested already
in Miss Mildmay's good works?'

The old lady was pleased to hear of any bond of sympathy likely to draw
the aunt and niece together, for much as she respected Miss Mildmay, she
had had strong doubts of her fitness for the charge of the girls, and
considerable misgivings as to their happiness with her. And Miss
Scarlett was old-fashioned, and but for her native kindliness of _heart_
she might almost have been prejudiced and narrow-minded. She scarcely
belonged to the present generation. Her youth had been passed in a
somewhat restricted groove, where the Lady Bountiful notions of
benevolent work among the poor were still predominant. Her sisters, a
good many years her juniors, had to a certain extent assimilated modern
ideas.

Frances hesitated. She could not bear in the least to decry her dear
'Jass,' and yet she knew that her sister had so far troubled her head
very little, if at all, about her aunt's girls' club or other
philanthropic undertakings.

'Aunt Alison doesn't tell us much about all these things,' she said.
'To-day was the first time she asked Jacinth to go with her, but Jass
was very pleased indeed, and I'm sure she'll like to be of use.'

Miss Scarlett smiled. She was quick of perception in some ways; she
understood the little girl's loyal admiration of her sister, and again
she patted her fair head.

'Well,' she said, encouragingly, 'sometimes, I hope, Jacinth may like to
spend a holiday afternoon with us. But tell her and your aunt from me,
that if ever they are at a loss what to do with _you_, Frances, Miss
Mildmay must let me know. We can manage a good run in the garden even in
wintry weather, and there _are_ such things as blindman's-buff and
hide-and-seek in the house sometimes.'

'Thank you _very_ much,' said Frances. 'I think--I would like to come
sometimes on Saturdays, for, besides going with Aunt Alison, I shouldn't
wonder if--I daresay Jass may have often to go'----She stopped and
hesitated, and finally blushed. 'I don't think I can explain,' she said.

'Never mind, my dear,' said Miss Marcia, coming to the rescue, with a
vague idea that