ll.
Then the snow collected outside the nursery window, and the mornings
were very dark, and bed the only comfortable place; and Gus's hands got
blue, and his face thin and pinched, and he wished himself away with the
"Capitaine" in the warm South Seas.

[Illustration: LOOK AT ME!]

But there was fun, too, about that cold weather; fun with the snow-man
in the Park; fun in learning to skate on the frozen pond, shut in so
nicely with the fir-trees; and fun in the real Christmas treats,
Christmas-trees, and Christmas games.

And so it was a very bright time that came to finish up those happy
Beecham days. The end of it all was saying "good-bye" to grandmamma and
cousins one fine, frosty morning, just the other side of New Year's Day,
and driving off between papa and mamma.

When you think of my first evening in that drawing-room, perhaps you
will wonder at the doubtful look which I know there was on my face, and
which made papa look right into my eyes, questioning, as he said,

"Whether I wanted to go home or not."

XI.

_GOOD-BYE TO BEECHAM._

Was I glad to go home or sorry? How could I tell? When it came to the
train, it was all such fun that I chattered away to mamma as fast as
possible about the stations we should pass, and the things we should
see, till I saw an old gentleman opposite exchanging smiles with mamma.
That made me feel shy, and shrink back into the corner silent enough;
and with the silence came a sigh, and five minutes later mamma's
question surprised me, in a fit of melancholy thought, about all that I
had left behind me. When would Lottie and I meet again? And how should
we know which was getting on best with the history? Ah, those nice
history lessons, with all those exciting stories and our favourite
heroes, who would read them with me now? I am not at all sure that I did
not have to choke down two or three tears before I could answer mamma.
Do you think she noticed it?

We were getting near our own station now, and I grew very eager, looking
out for papa's brougham. How cold the air was, going out of the station,
and what a cosy remembrance of home feeling there was about the soft
corner, where I had often nestled when driving with papa!

I don't remember much about Bobby's welcome; I know both little brothers
seemed a little strange to me till about the middle of tea-time. Bobby
was very hot and excited with his half-hour before the nursery fire,
making toast for Sissy's first