was. It's that girl--Miss Cross-at-first, you know,
Anne,' for that was the name we'd given her, and, indeed, I didn't
remember her real name.

'Miss _what_, Jack?' said mums; while Anne said quietly, 'Oh yes, I
know. How funny!'

Then we explained what we meant.

'Judith,' said mother; 'Judith Merthyr. What a very queer name for her,'
and she couldn't help laughing. 'It may have been her, for I know she
works among poor children. Perhaps she's one of the girls who come down
in turns to the Convalescent Home--the ladies Mrs. Parsley told us of. I
must ask Dorothea Chasserton; she's sure to know. It would be nice if
Judith were there, they say she's such a very kind girl.'

'Yes,' I said, 'we found that out. It's only the way her face is
made--she can't help it.'

But somehow we all forgot to ask Cousin Dorothea. For one thing, there
soon began to be a good deal of bustle getting ready to go away, for
with this horrid whooping-cough nurse and Rowley had been so extra busy
that there was a lot of sewing to do. Not for me, of course. My sailor
suits all come from the man at Devonport, and, except for darning my
stockings, I don't think I give much mending to do. But of course
_girls_ are always wanting things made for them at home. Then to add to
all the fuss, gran took it into his head to come back all of a sudden.
Mother hadn't counted on his coming at all till after she'd got back
from Ventnor with Hebe, and by then she thought if Hebe was well enough
to be with the rest of us at Mossmoor, she herself would be free to
devote herself to gran. She wanted to be _extra_ good to him, you see,
to make up for the worry about the diamond ornament.

But gran's often rather changeable; and of course, as mums always says,
'It's his own house: who has a better right to come to it whenever it
suits him?'

Only it _was_ rather inconvenient, and mother looked pretty blank the
morning she got the letter. He wasn't going to stay long--he had some
other visits to pay before he settled down for his usual two months or
so of the season in town. He would only stay about ten days.

'_Just_ till we are all leaving,' said poor mums. 'And I know he will
want me all day,--and I'd gladly be with him all day--but I _am_ so
busy.'

'So am I,' said father, looking rather flabbergasted himself. 'But we
must just do the best we can, Valeria. You tell him frankly that you are
and must be very busy, and I will tell him that my new book is
a