ne night, and watch the
Johnnies rush out and smash 'em!" Then seeing the words, "_Do not knock
unless absolutely necessary_," printed on a card nailed to the
"Hermit's" door, he lingered behind to give such a resounding
rat-tat-tat to the knocker as woke the echoes to life. The girls
scuttled upstairs like so many frightened mice; but what was the good of
that? They could not hide the noise of their footsteps, and once in the
precincts of their own flat they one and all fell upon Barney, covering
him with reproaches. How could he? How dared he? It was rude,
ungentlemanly, unfair to his sisters. He must never--no, never--do such
a thing again!

"Well, scarcely ever!" cried the beaming culprit. "So this is the
rabbit-warren, is it! What a rummy little show! When will the feed be
ready? I'm dying of hunger. Hope you've slain a jolly big calf while
you were about it."

When the "calf" appeared, and the reunited family seated themselves
round the dining-room table, Barney wished to bet some one "a tanner"
that without leaving his chair he could ring the bell, poke the fire,
pull up the blind, and put a plate on the sideboard; and proceeding to
give practical illustration of his words, overbalanced himself, grazed
his head against a corner of the bookcase, and made an ugly stain upon
the wall-paper with the contents of his overturned plate.

"Really, Barney--really! That's not at all amusing. I don't feel in
the _least_ inclined to laugh," protested Philippa severely; but she
belied the truth of her words by smiling lovingly on the culprit
throughout the meal. It was easy to see who was going to be master of
_that_ flat!

CHAPTER NINE.

AN ANONYMOUS LETTER.

Barney's infectious spirits were a godsend to his sisters, who, truth to
tell, were beginning to experience a reaction from their first elation,
and to realise how many weary rungs of the ladder had to be ascended
before success was gained. Theo felt that she was condescending sadly
when she sent off her MS to the editor of a threepenny magazine; but
that gentleman evidently differed from her opinion, for he sent it back
again with admirable promptitude, with only a printed rejection by way
of criticism. Hope received no answer from Miss Minnie Caldecott, and
Madge found herself ranked with other new-comers in the antique room at
the Slade School, and treated with patronising disdain by the older
pupils. These latter worked "in the life," an