ave talked in so lawless and
foolish a strain.

Beatrice gazed at her in amazement. Gwen had often been naughty, but
had never before ventured thus to wave the flag of defiance.

"I shall have to get Father to speak to you," she replied gravely.
"He's gone over to Hethersedge to take the temperance meeting. He
started at five o'clock. You'd better have tea now. Nellie has made
you some more, in the little blue pot, and we kept you a potato cake,
though you don't deserve it. Father will be very astonished and sorry
when I tell him what you've said."

Gwen ate her meal with a big lump in her throat. She had not meant to
rebel openly, but she had lost her temper, and the words had flashed
out. Beatrice's threat alarmed her. Through all the tangled skein of
Gwen's character there ran, like a thread of pure gold, the intense
passionate love for her father, and the desire to preserve his good
opinion. She could not bear to see the grieved look that came into his
eyes when he was forced to reprove her. What indeed would he think of
her when he heard Beatrice's account? She pushed the potato cake away,
feeling as if she could not swallow a morsel.

Beatrice was putting Martin to bed. Better follow her now, and try to
patch up peace. She ran upstairs and met her sister coming out of the
little fellow's bedroom, candle in hand.

"Bee! I'm awfully sorry for what I said just now! I didn't really mean
it I can't think what possessed me!" gulped Gwen.

"I try to do my best for you all. It's hard work sometimes to be
eldest," said Beatrice, and there was a quiver in her voice too. "If
only Mother were here."

"Don't!" said Gwen huskily. "I miss her so dreadfully still. Oh, Bee!
If only you wouldn't tell Father about this!"

"If I don't, will you promise faithfully always to come straight home
from school with Winnie and Lesbia, and never go anywhere without
asking?"

"On my honour!"

"Then I won't trouble him. He's enough worries, poor darling, without
adding any more to them! I only wish I could save him some of those he
already has!"

Early next morning, long before Lesbia was awake, Gwen got up very
quietly, and unlocked her savings box. It seemed dreadfully hard to
have to take her treasured fifteen shillings; pocket money was such a
scarce article at the Parsonage that she did not know when she would
have the chance of accumulating so much again. There were only two
threepenny bits and a penny left to rattle when s