gone openly and with clear consciences, had they but properly and
submissively waited the decision of their elders. Mr. Geoffrey Langford,
who did not know how ill his daughter had been behaving, would have been
very sorry to interfere with the plan, and easily reconciled his mother
to it, in his own cheerful pleasant way. Indeed her opposition had
been entirely caused by Beatrice herself; she had not once thought of
objecting when it had been first mentioned the evening before, and
had not Beatrice not first fidgeted and then argued, would only have
regarded it as a pleasant way of occupying their morning.

"I could scold you, Miss Drone," said Beatrice when the two girls had
set themselves to rights, and recovered breath; "it was all the fault of
your dawdling."

"Well, perhaps it was," said Henrietta, "but you know I could not see
grandmamma lifting those flower-pots without offering to help her."

"How many more times shall I have to tell you that grandmamma hates to
be helped?"

"Then she was very kind to me," replied Henrietta.

"I see how it will be," said Beatrice, smiling, "you will be
grandmamma's pet, and it will be a just division. I never yet could get
her to let me help her in anything, she is so resolutely independent."

Queen Bee did not take into account how often her service was either
grudgingly offered, or else when she came with a good will, it was also
with a way, it might be better, it might be worse, but in which she was
determined to have the thing done, and against which her grandmamma was
of course equally resolute.

"She is an amazing person!" said Henrietta. "Is she eighty yet?"

"Seventy-nine," said Beatrice; "and grandpapa eighty-two. I always say
I think we should get the prize in a show of grandfathers and
grandmothers, if there was one like Uncle Roger's fat cattle shows. You
know she thinks nothing of walking twice to church on a Sunday, and
all over the village besides when there is anybody ill. But here is the
Sutton Leigh path. Let me see if those boys are to be trusted. Yes, yes,
that's right! Capital!" cried she in high glee; "here is Birnam wood
coming across the field." And springing on one of the bars of the gate
near the top, she flourished her handkerchief, chanting or singing,

"Greet thee well, thou holly green, Welcome, welcome, art thou seen,
With all thy glittering garlands bending, As to greet my--quick
descending:"

she finished in an altered tone, as sh