s, she looked up, saw the gesticulating children, observed the
shadow of the pole and the writhing wire, and sprang upon the walk, and
across it in time to escape the peril.

The wire's weight brought the pole down with a crash, in spite of all
the men could do. But the woman in the gray cloak was safe with Tess and
Dot on the greensward.

CHAPTER II

THE LADY IN THE GRAY CLOAK

"My dear girls!" the woman in the gray cloak said, with a hand on a
shoulder of each of the younger Corner House girls, "how providential it
was that you saw my danger. I am very much obliged to you. And how brave
you both were!"

"Thank you, ma'am," said Tess, who seldom forgot her manners.

But Dot was greatly excited. "Oh, my!" she gasped, clinging tightly to
the Alice-doll, and quite breathless. "My--my pulse _did_ jump so!"

"Did it? You funny little thing," said the woman, half laughing and half
crying. "What do you know about a pulse?"

"Oh, I know it's a muscle that bumps up and down, and the doctor feels
it to see if you're better next time he comes," blurted out Dot, nothing
loath to show what knowledge she thought she possessed.

"Oh, my dear!" cried the lady, laughing heartily now. And, dropping down
upon the very bench where Tess and Dot had been sitting, she drew the
two children to seats beside her. "Oh, my dear! I shall have to tell
that to Dr. Forsyth."

"Oh!" ejaculated Tess, who was looking at the pink-cheeked lady with
admiring eyes. "Oh! _we_ know Dr. Forsyth. He is our doctor."

"Is he, indeed? And who are you?" responded the lady, the sad look on
her face quite disappearing now that she talked so animatedly with the
little Kenways.

"We are Dot and Tess Kenway," said Tess. "I'm Tess. We live just over
there," and she pointed to the big, old-fashioned mansion across the
Parade Ground.

"Ah, then," said the woman in the gray cloak, "you are the Corner House
girls. I have heard of you."

"We are only two of them," said Dot, quickly. "There's four."

"Ah! then you are only half the quartette."

"I don't believe we are _half_--do you, Tess?" said Dot, seriously. "You
see," she added to the lady, "Ruthie and Aggie are so much bigger than
we are."

The lady in the gray cloak laughed again. "You are all four of equal
importance, I have no doubt. And you must be very happy together--you
sisters." The sad look returned to her face. "It must be lovely to have
three sisters."

"Didn't you ever have any