then, Miss," she said; "them as Miss
Pennie likes."

"And I want you," added Miss Unity, "to let Keturah bring up the
tea-things. The young ladies don't know she is here, and it will be a
nice surprise for them."

Betty entering heart and soul into the plot, which Miss Unity had been
considering for some days, a letter was despatched to Easney, the cakes
made, and Keturah carefully drilled as to her behaviour.

Pennie and Nancy had been expecting the invitation, and were quite ready
for it when it came, with Kettles' new boots and stockings made into a
parcel. Andrew might drive them into Nearminster and leave them at Miss
Unity's for an hour, Miss Grey said, and she hoped they would be sure to
start back punctually.

"How funny it seems," said Pennie as the cathedral towers came in sight,
"to be going back to Nearminster!"

"Would you like to be going to stop there again?" asked Nancy.

"Well of course I like being at home best," answered Pennie, "but there
were some things I liked at Nearminster. Let me see," counting on her
fingers, "there were Miss Unity, and old. Nurse, and Betty, and Sabine
Merridew, and Kettles, and the Cathedral, and the market, and the
College. That's five people and three things. And what I didn't like
were needlework and dancing, and the dean, and Monsieur Deville, and all
the other Merridews."

"I hope Betty's made hot-cakes for tea," said Nancy as the carriage
stopped at Miss Unity's door.

"How can she, with only one hand?" said Pennie; and then the door opened
and there was Betty herself, with her arm still in a sling, and a face
shining with welcome.

"Lor', Miss Pennie, it do seem natural to see you again, to be sure,"
she said with a giggle of delight. "And Miss Nancy's rosy cheeks too.
The mistress is expecting you; run upstairs to her, my dears."

She went towards the kitchen with a shake of the head and a short laugh,
as if she had some inward cause for amusement.

"Betty seems to like having a sprain," said Nancy, looking at her over
the balusters. "I never saw her look so pleased or laugh so much."

Miss Unity's welcome was quite as hearty as Betty's, but she too seemed
a little odd, and inclined to give nervous glances at the door as though
she expected some one to come in.

"Would you like us to go and help Betty bring up tea?" asked Nancy,
noticing this. "We should like it tremendously if you would let us."

She started up as she spoke, and would have