alice. An' see an' forgit
it yerself Miss Jane, for she'll be the good aunt to ye all yit."

Jane went slowly back to the house. She would have liked to consult
Mick about it, but she had promised not to tell. The only thing to do
was to wait till she could ask Aunt Charlotte herself.

Mick went to the station on the car to meet Aunt Charlotte. The others
waited at the gate, two on each of the stone lions, to give a cheer
when she arrived.

It was a long drive from the station, and they were stiff and cramped
before the car came back, but Jane would not let them get down, for
fear the car might turn the corner while they were down, and Aunt
Charlotte would not get a proper welcome.

It came at last, and they hurrahed till they were hoarse. Aunt
Charlotte sat on one side, and Mick on the other. There was a tin box
between them on the well of the car. As the car came nearer they saw
that Mick was making signs, shaking his head and frowning, and when the
car turned in at the gate Aunt Charlotte looked straight in front of
her, and did not even glance at the welcoming party on the lions.

They got down, and followed up the avenue. In a minute they were
joined by Mick. "Let's hide," he said; "she's an ould divil."

Silently they turned away from the house, across the lawn, and dropped
over the wall into the road. They went up the road till they came to
an opening in the wall on the other side, where they filed through, and
struck out across the fields. Sheep were feeding on the spongy grass,
and as they got farther away from home rocks and boulders began to
appear, and at last a long line of clear blue sea. Mick led the way
till they came to a flat rock jutting out like a shelf over the sea,
and here they sat down.

"What did she do?" Jane asked.

"She said I was no gentleman," said Mick.

"What for?"

Mick began his tale.

"When the train come in I went up to her, an' sez I: 'How'r' ye?' Sez
she: 'Who are you?' Sez I: 'I'm Michael Darragh.' 'Is it possible?'
sez she, an' ye should 'a' seen the ould face on her. Sez I: 'The
car's waitin'.' 'Then tell the man to come for my luggage,' sez she."

"Oh Mick," gasped Jane, "what did ye do?"

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't like to say right out that Andy
had got no livery on his legs, and daren't strip off the rug. So I
sez: 'We'll get a porter to carry it out.' 'No,' sez she; 'I'd have to
tip him. Tell the coachman to come.'"

"As mane a