w
to think of that."

"Do you mean because of your going away, mother?" I asked. "Will you
_really_ go away? Will it be for a long time, mother? As long as a
month, or two months?"

"Yes," said mother, "quite as long as that I am afraid. But you must go
to sleep now, dear. You are not quite well yet, you know, and you will
be so tired to-morrow if you don't have a good night. Try and not think
any more about what you heard to-night; and to-morrow, or as soon as I
can, I will tell you more."

"I did hear more," I said in a low voice, "I heard about our going to
uncle Geoff's. Mother, is uncle Geoff nice?"

"Very," said mother. "But, Audrey, you must go to sleep, dear."

"Yes, mother, I will in one minute," I said. "But do tell me just one
thing, _please_ do."

Mother turned towards me again. She had just been preparing to lift
Racey.

"Well, dear?" she said.

"I do _so_ want to know what suits the boys would travel in," I said. "I
have my big, long coat, but they haven't got such big ones. Mother,
_don't_ you think they should have new ulsters?"

Mother gave a little laugh that was half a sigh.

"Audrey," she said, "what a queer child you are!-- But perhaps," she
added to herself in a low voice, "perhaps it is as well."

I heard the words, and though I could not quite see that there was
anything queer in my thinking about new ulsters for the boys, I did not
tease mother any more about them just then. She kissed me again quite
kindly, and then carried Racey away. He just woke up a very little as
she lifted him, and gave a sort of cross wriggle--poor little boy, he
had been so comfortably asleep. But when he saw that it was mother who
was lifting him, he left off being cross in one moment.

"Dear little muzzie," he said, and though he was too sleepy to open his
eyes again, he puckered up his little red lips for a kiss. "Muzzie," was
what the boys called mother sometimes for a pet name. It wasn't very
pretty, but she didn't mind.

"My darling little Racey," she said, as she kissed him; and somehow the
way she said "darling" made me wish just a little that I was Racey
instead of myself. Yet I didn't think about it much. My fancy would go
running on about going to uncle Geoff's, and the journey, and how I
would take care of the boys and all that; and when I went to sleep I had
such queer dreams. I thought uncle Geoff had a face like Pierson when
she was cross, and that he wore a great big ulster buttoned all