d pleasantly at our guest.

"I didn't!" I said, warmly. "I used to be quite nasty at times before
I was married."

Bee showed her little white teeth in a smile.

"I'm glad to hear you admit it," she said, sweetly.

"If you would like to see Billy so much," said Aubrey, politely, "why
not bring him on here?"

"Could you?" I cried, in delight. To think of having Billy! The lamb
had never been in the country in his life, and he was wild over my
letters about Peach Orchard.

"I can arrange it, if you like," Aubrey went on--mostly to me, for
Billy's mother was silently thinking.

"Do have him, Bee!" I cried. "I won't let him get in your way. He
needn't even sleep in your room. I'll have Norah put up a cot in the
alcove of the rose room. She can sleep there, and dress him and
everything. You won't be annoyed the least bit."

"Well," said Bee, with graceful reluctance, "if you are sure he won't
be in your way, and if Aubrey's cousin will bring him, I see no reason
why he mightn't come."

I almost squealed in my delight. It would certainly be worth while to
see the child's eyes when he first saw the calves and little chickens.

I left both Aubrey and Bee at the table while I rushed up-stairs to see
if the rose room would be just right for him. I made Aubrey promise to
arrange everything by telegraph. Norah loved children, and entered
into my plans with delight. Then I flew out to interview old Amos. He
had told me only a few days before that the boys on the estate next
ours wanted to sell their goats and goat carriages.

The days passed rapidly in preparations, but of all my guests, titled
or otherwise, it was Billy--my Billy--I wanted to see worst. In two
days I got a letter.

"Dear Miss Tats," it ran, "I only write to say that I shall be glad to
come. If I had not written you a long letter so soon ago, I would
write more now. Tell mother to be sure to meet me at the station.
Don't let her forget that I shall arrive at four-sixteen. Your
affectionate little nephew, Billy."

I wept tears of delight over this effusion, and "so soon ago" passed
into the Jardine vocabulary.

In looking back, I think I can safely say that if Bee had known what
would happen at that house-party to shock her English friends, she
would have preferred to discharge her obligations to them by a nice
little Sunday afternoon at Coney Island or an evening in Chinatown.
But fortunately the English are a sensible race, and Si