l day long. Now she
was going to bed, and the poor little girl looked rather limp and
abject as she crept along the passage to her room.

"I do hope Ermie is having a jolly time," she murmured to herself. "I
can just fancy how delicious it is at Glendower now. It is such a
beautiful, perfect place, just hanging over the sea. And there's going
to be a moon. And the moon will shine on the sea, and make it
silver."

Marjorie reached her room. She climbed up on the window-ledge and
gazed out.

"Yes, the moon is getting up," she said, speaking her thoughts aloud,
which was one of her old-fashioned ways. "Oh, how beautiful the moon
must look on the sea. I wonder if Ermie is looking at it. Not that
poor Ermie cares for moons, or things of that sort; but Lilias does.
Who's that? O Basil, is it you? Have you come to talk to me? How
awfully jolly! There's lots of room for both of us on the
window-ledge. Squeeze in, Basil; there, aren't we snug? Please, may I
put my arm round your neck to keep myself tight?"

"All right, Mag. Only don't quite throttle me if you can help it. I
thought you had some one with you. I heard you chattering."

"Only to myself. It's a way I have."

"Well, go on, never mind me; I'm nobody."

"Oh, aren't you, just! Why, you are Basil, you're the eldest of us all
and the wisest, and the best."

"Hush, Maggie."

Basil's brow was actually contracted with pain.

"Yes, you are," repeated Marjorie, who saw the look, and began to feel
her little heart waxing very hot. "O Basil, I meant to spend all
to-day and yesterday clearing you; yes, I did, darling, I did! And I
never thought, when it was made to be my plain duty to stay at home,
that I was only to help in the nursery all day long. O Basil, I _am_
so sorry."

"I don't know what you mean, Maggie, by clearing me," said Basil.
"Clearing me of what?"

"Why, of course, you have been unjustly accused by father."

"Stop, Maggie. I have not been unjustly accused by anyone."

"Basil, you know you didn't break the little sister's miniature, nor
steal it from Miss Nelson. You know you never did!"

Basil put his arm round Marjorie's waist.

"You think not?" he said with a slow, rather glad sort of smile.

"_Think_ not? I know you didn't do it! _You_ do anything mean and
horrid and wicked and shabby like that! _You?_ Look here, Basil, even
if you told me you did it, I wouldn't believe you."

"All right, Mag; then I needn't say anything."

"Only you