drew near.
"You'll have to dig some before dinner."

For one instant their complacent features clouded. Prudence looked up
expectantly, sure of a break in their serene placidity.

One doubtful second, then--

"Certainly, Prudence," said Carol brightly.

And Lark added genially, "We'd better fill the box, I guess--so we'll
have enough for the rest of the week."

And singing a light but unharmonic snatch of song, the twins went in
search of basket and hoe.

The twins were not musical. They only sang from principle, to emphasize
their light-heartedness when it needed special impressing.

Prudence's brows knitted in anxious frowns, and she sighed a few times.

"What is the matter, Prue? You look like a rainy Christmas," said Fairy.

"It's the twins," was the mournful answer.

"The twins!" ejaculated Fairy. "Why, they've acted like angels lately."

Even Aunt Grace lifted mildly inquiring eyebrows.

"That's it!--That's just it. When the twins act like angels I get
uneasy right away. The better they act, the more suspicious I feel."

"What have they been doing?"

"Nothing! Not a thing! That's why I'm worried. It must be something
terrible!"

Fairy laughed and returned to her embroidery. Aunt Grace smiled and
began plying her needles once more. But Prudence still looked troubled,
and sighed often.

There was no apparent ground for her alarm. The twins came back with the
potatoes, peeled some for luncheon, and set the table, their faces still
bright and smiling. Prudence's eyes, often fastened upon their angelic
countenances, grew more and more troubled.

In the afternoon, they joined the little circle on the porch, but not to
sew. They took a book, and lay down on a rug with the book before them,
reading together. Evidently they were all absorbed. An hour passed, two
hours, three. At times Carol pointed to a line, and said in a low voice,
"That's good, isn't it?" And Lark would answer, "Dandy!--Have you read
this?"

Prudence, in spite of her devotion to the embroidering of large S's on
assorted pieces of linen, never forgot the twins for a moment.

"What are you reading?" she asked at last aimlessly, her only desire to
be reassured by the sound of their voices.

There was an almost imperceptible pause. Then Carol answered,--her chin
was in her palms which may have accounted for the mumbling of the words.

"_Scianceanelth._"

"What?"

Another pause, a little more perceptible this time. "_Science and