ought if Anne had remembered the name as close as that, she
might have looked it up in our own red book at home before starting.

They rang again next door, and again a footman opened; but he wasn't so
good-natured as the other, and he was stupid too.

'Is Lady Nearn at home? Can I see her?' asked Anne quite coolly. Anne is
as cool as anything when she's full of some idea. Nothing puts her out
or frightens her.

It was rather dark, and of course no one expects little _ladies_ to be
walking about alone so late. So it wasn't much wonder the man thought
they were errand girls, or beggars of some kind possibly.

'No,' he said, 'my lady's not at home; and if she was she wouldn't be to
no tiresome children like you.' (We made Anne and Serry tell us exactly
all that was said.) 'She leaves word if she's expecting any of her
school brats, but she's said nothing this time, so it's no use your
teasing.'

If _I'd_ been Anne I'd have been in a fury, but Serry said she didn't
seem to mind.

'Oh, please,' she said, 'we're not school-children, and we've come about
something very particular indeed. Don't you think Lady Nearn will be in
soon?'

That was Anne all over. She'd no intention of giving up now she had got
so far.

I suppose the footman heard by her voice that she wasn't a common child.

'Can't you leave a message?' he said rather more civilly.

'No,' said Anne. 'It's something I must see Lady Nearn herself about.'

She had the sense not to speak of the found ornament to him. Of course
it would have been no use, as Lady Nearn wouldn't have left it with a
servant.

'We're friends of--at least we know Mrs. Barry's children,' Anne went
on. 'Can't you let us come in and wait, if Lady Nearn will be in soon?'

For it was very chilly on the doorstep, and indeed both Anne and Serry
were very tired by this time--coming straight from the dancing, and
losing their way to Rodney Square, and it being past tea-time and all.

The footman seemed to consider.

'Step inside,' he said at last; 'I'll see what--somebody--says,' They
didn't catch the name.

It wasn't nearly such a grand house as the one next door. The hall was
quite small, and there was no fireplace in it.

'You can take a seat,' said the man, and he went off. 'Somebody' must
have taken a good while to find, for he didn't come back for ever so
long. I suppose once he saw them in the light, he was satisfied they
weren't beggars or anything like that.

They were