d placed outside the back-kitchen
door, and tried to cajole some pieces of toffee from Cook.

"I gave it all to Miss Kaye," she assured them, "and it's locked up in
the dining-room cupboard. It's not a single piece you'll get till
to-night, so don't come bothering me. Parkin, did you say? It's safe
in the storeroom, and it will stay there till seven o'clock."

In spite of a slight mist it promised to be a fine evening, and the
children looked anxiously up at the sky, hoping it would be clear
enough to show off the rockets to advantage. The fireworks were to
begin after six o'clock, at which hour Mr. Cameron was expected to
arrive, and with the gardener's aid to set a light to the bonfire.

"It's no fun in the least without Linda," thought Sylvia, wandering
round to the front of the house to see if she could catch a glimpse of
her friend at the window. "She'll be so unhappy all alone! I wonder
if----." And she ran back to the side door as quickly as she could,
for a new idea had suddenly struck her.

"Mercy," she cried, meeting the monitress in the passage, "there's
something I want to do if I dare. Do you think Miss Kaye would be very
angry with me?"

"I can't tell you till I know what it is," said Mercy, smiling. "What
do you wish to ask her?"

"Linda will be so miserable by herself this evening. Do you think Miss
Kaye would let me stay with her? You see, it wasn't her fault half as
much as the others', because she didn't really go with them."

"How do you know she didn't?" asked Mercy.

"Because she came back at once and said she had only been to the
gate. She and I sat in the classroom talking till teatime."

"My dear child, if you knew this you ought to have told Miss Kaye
about it before!"

"Ought I? I didn't dare. She looked so angry. I thought perhaps Linda
had told her."

"I don't believe she did. At any rate I think we ought to make sure.
If you like I'll go with you to Miss Kaye now; she's in her study."

"Oh, if you only would!" cried Sylvia, clasping Mercy in one of her
affectionate hugs; "I shouldn't mind a scrap if you were there, but
I'm frightened out of my wits to go alone."

Sylvia clutched Mercy's arm very tightly as they tapped at the door of
the study, and entered in response to Miss Kaye's 'Come in!' She was
thankful the elder girl was there to explain her errand, as she felt
so shy herself, she was sure she would not have known how to begin.

"You are quite certain, Sylvia, that L