terally by the hour together, and Margaret
was given to understand that there never were such manly, clever boys as
her sons, or such charming girls as her daughters. If Geoffrey did not
eventually rise to be Commander-in-Chief, and if Noel and Jack did not
become Admirals of the Fleet, it would not be their fault. On the other
hand, Edward's brains would get him into Parliament, and there was no
reason at all why he should not be Prime Minister one day. As for Maud,
there was simply nothing she could not do in the way of games Daisy and
David were dear children, too, if taken in the right way, and not unduly
thwarted. Daisy and David Margaret concluded, were the two grandchildren
to whom she was to fill the position of holiday governess and she
thought to herself ruefully enough, as Mrs. Danvers went on to say what
high-spirited children they were, that she was quite sure she would never
have the courage to thwart them however naughty they were.

When Margaret could eat no more, and indeed she had finished her supper
long before Mrs. Danvers became aware of the fact, the latter suggested
that if Miss Carson had really had enough they should go into the
billiard-room and watch the game that was in progress there. She had
already been told that Maud was playing a level game with Geoffrey. They
had started the game before dinner, and Maud had been 120 to his 80 odd
when the gong brought play to a standstill. She had made four breaks of
10, two of 12, and one of 15, and though every word of this was Greek to
Margaret, she gathered from the air of pride with which Mrs. Danvers
spoke that it was all greatly to Maud's credit.

So when Mrs. Danvers' knitting had been picked up from the floor, and the
ball, which had rolled under the dining-room table this time, retrieved,
Margaret followed her hostess out of the room.

A tremendous clapping and cheering, and the noisy stamping of cues on the
ground, fell on Margaret's ears as Mrs. Danvers threw open the door of
the billiard-room, and it did not cease until they had both been some
minutes in the room.

To Margaret's dazed, shy eyes the room seemed full of young people,
although as a matter of fact there were only one or two friends of the
Danvers present, the rest of the group of young people being the Danvers
themselves. Maud, of course, was still in the tweed skirt in which she
had gone to the station, but the other girls were in pretty white evening
frocks, and the bigger