to-night, in honor of the boys' return,
and nurse was bringing in toddling Ethel, and little Dick and Bobby,
and placing them in their chairs, and then cutting bread-and-butter
for them.

Basil rushed down a side passage to a lavatory to wash his hands, and
Ermengarde flew upstairs to dispose of her best hat. Miss Nelson had
not noticed it.

When the elder boy and girl came into the room the meal had commenced.
Marjorie, as usual, was trotting from chair to chair, helping
everyone, pushing the butter nearer to little Mollie, the youngest
schoolroom child, stopping Bobby's rebellious lips with strawberries,
and lugging a great jug of milk in her arms, and with a red face, and
chubby hands that would tremble under their load, refilling mugs of
milk as fast as they got empty.

"That will do now, Marjorie; you can sit down," called out Miss
Nelson.

Marjorie subsided at once into a seat beside Eric.

"Ermengarde," said her governess, glancing quickly at her eldest
pupil; "you are late again for tea. You forfeit five marks."

"Oh, I say," exclaimed Basil, "I'm late, too, Miss Nelson. And it
wasn't Ermie's fault, her being late this time; she could not help
herself. Why, what is the matter, Ermie?"

Ermengarde had given him a shove under the table. He looked round at
her, guessed that she did not wish him to say something, and instantly
subsided into absolute silence.

Basil was a favorite of Miss Nelson's. He was a kind-hearted lad; he
had something of Marjorie's spirit, and was always willing to throw
himself into breaches, to heal disputes, to be a sort of peacemaker
and server all round. Miss Nelson dreaded beyond anything the long
summer vacation when the boys were home from school, and the girls had
only half work. These were the weeks for disputes, for quarrels, for
disagreeables, for scrapes. During these weeks poor Miss Nelson's hair
became more gray, and her face more wrinkled and anxious; but she
dreaded the holidays, not because Basil was at home, but on account of
Eric, who was a perfect imp of mischief, and because all the home
children were more or less demoralized by his presence.

Now Miss Nelson smiled into Basil's eyes, handed him a plate of the
best strawberries, and after a pause, said: "You'd like me not to
punish Ermengarde?"

"Of course I should; she has done nothing to be punished for."

Again Ermengarde kicked him under the table. He was lifting a cup of
tea to his lips, and part of it