occurred to her; that it might be for the
worse, never entered her head. She saw simply a chance of a change, an
escape from the monotony and sordidness of her present life. She would
have a new outfit, and travel, and meet new people, and escape from that
dreadful little cheap house and dull village, not to speak of other
tiresome things which had been thrusting themselves on her attention for a
long time, but had been put aside and aside for consideration 'some day.'

The children stood just within the door, startled and bewildered--too
bewildered for the moment to move or speak. "Going away!" they gasped at
last, "and--and _we_ are to be left _behind!_ Oh, mother, you can't mean
it!"

They loved their careless, easy-going mother very dearly, and, in spite of
her neglect of them were, as a rule, very happy. She was the one person
in the world, too, that they knew well and were accustomed to; and to be
thus suddenly bereft of her and left entirely to strangers, or worse, was
a prospect too appalling almost to be credited. In spite of her neglect
they loved her; in fact it was only as they grew older that they realised
that she did neglect them, or was not to them all she might have been.
Esther was beginning to realise it; but Esther, in spite of her odd, sharp
temper and reserved manner, had a great love for her mother; she loved her
so much that she wanted her to be different, to be more what the ideal
mother was--such a one as she had read of in books.

"Oh, mother, you aren't really going away, and going to leave us!" cried
Angela again. "Mother, you can't! We can't be left!" At the thought of
it Poppy began to cry.

"Yes, your father wants me to come, and I must go as soon as I can make
arrangements. Of course I can't take you all with me, so I am going to
ask your Aunt Julia to let you go and live with her."

What Esther had been on the point of saying, was never said--her mother's
apparent indifference to their separation hurt her too deeply.
"Oh, then, Aunt Julia does not know it yet?" she remarked shrewdly.

"No, your father has left all the arrangements to me to make, and I am to
come as soon as I like; so, as I see no use in delaying, I shall try to
get away as soon as I possibly can."

Mrs. Carroll's brain could work very quickly under certain circumstances.
Now, though only a few moments had elapsed since the momentous letter had
arrived, she had formed plans innumerable, to be carried out