' smiled her brother,
devouring plum-cake with avidity.

'But--but what did they _say_ to your extraordinary departure?' cried
Auntie Anna.

'I didn't give them time to say much,' answered Mr. Berkeley. 'The boat
was starting in a couple of hours, you see.'

Auntie Anna threw up her hands. 'Of all the improvident, hot-headed----'
she was beginning, when the change of expression in her brother's face
silenced her. He held out his cup to her with a pathetic look.

'You always forget,' he said. 'Two lumps, please.'

The boys flung themselves upon the sugar-basin, and more than two lumps
found their way into his cup. Jill took the opportunity to present
Barbara's friends to him, and Mr. Berkeley smiled and said something
genial to both of them, which made Jean forget at once how shy she was and
drove away the last bit of Angela's confusion over her stupid mistake. But
his attention soon wandered back to his children, and he stirred his
tea and beamed upon all three of them alternately, until the others began
to feel that they were in the way. His eyes rested longest of all upon
Babs, who lay on her couch with an expression of complete contentment
on her face; and Auntie Anna saw, and understood.

'I said all the while it was madness to write and tell you about it,' she
grumbled.

Mr. Berkeley chuckled. 'I never got your letter till last Wednesday week,'
he said. 'It had been following me about from place to place. Poor little
Babe!' he added, pinching her cheek softly; 'what a shame to let you
knock yourself about, when your poor old father wasn't there to take care
of you!'

Auntie Anna smiled grimly. 'No one could very well be less capable of
taking care of her,' she remarked.

Robin clambered on his father's knee and hugged him afresh.

'Why _did_ you come home, father?' he cried, raising his voice higher than
ever.

Mr. Berkeley looked mildly surprised. 'Can't you guess, sonny?' he asked.
'Do you suppose I could stay another minute in somebody else's country,
when I heard that my little girl was ill over here?'

Jill got up rather suddenly, and offered to take Jean and Angela round
the garden; and Auntie Anna grasped her blue-knobbed cane, and rose
slowly to her feet. Before she went off, however, she shot one more
question at her brother in her most abrupt manner. 'What about your
luggage, Everard?' she demanded. 'Where have you left it?'

Mr. Berkeley reflected a moment. 'I _think_ it was Boston,' he b