"Really, Miss Sissy, you _must_ be
quiet, and go to sleep!" But, you know, that was just one of those
remarks which it is of no use listening to.

It's funny how sometimes sleep seems to run away and won't be caught
anyhow! Next night it was just the same. Only it was quite different,
too. You know what I mean. That funny bedroom, with its white curtains
covered with pink rose-buds, and the venetian blinds, and the moon
shining through, mixed up somehow with the sound of the waves; and to
have Lottie in the same large bed with me--oh, it was all so odd! And
the narrow passages with two stairs at every turn, and the rooms opening
right in each other's faces, so to say! It felt queer, too, to know that
we were alone in the house with only Susette and Jane to take care of
us, the woman of the house to do hard work, and Gus to run errands for
us.

By some means or other we did go to sleep at last, and afterwards woke
up in the morning to wonder where we were. And then came all the wonders
of the new place to be discovered. Harry had persuaded grandmamma to
send over the steady old pony with us, and no sooner was breakfast over
than he appeared at the door led by Gus, for Master Harry to go, as he
called it, on a voyage of discovery. I am not sure that our nurses were
not rather glad to be rid of this "Turk of a boy," as they called him;
for Harry, good-natured as he was, could not lose a chance of teasing
the little ones, and sometimes, a little hurting their tempers.

[Illustration: I'M COMING!]

There was a great hollow place in the cliff close to our house, down
which was the way to the beach, which we took with the least possible
delay. Then came the first delights of bathing, and when that was over,
the digging in the sand and hunting for shells, while baby took his
morning sleep on Susette's lap. By and by we went home to dinner, and
after that, to hemming and sewing and reading with the nurses. And
when early tea was over, it was cool enough for a fresh walk over the
hills, or away to the rocks farther off.

This was the way we spent four pleasant weeks, getting as rosy and
strong as any one could wish. Three or four times we were surprised in
our morning play on the beach by the welcome sight of Uncle Hugh. For,
every now and then, he would ride over to give grandmamma some news of
the children. This was a great delight, for it was sure to mean, first
of all, that there were letters from home for us all,--thos