"Ermie, you said I thought first of Eric a minute ago."

"That's another of your horrid habits, casting one's words up to one."

Marjorie clasped her hands in front of her, and closed her lips. Her
round face looked stubborn.

"I'm sure Eric is in the garden," she said.

"I'll let you go in a minute, you impatient child. Of course Miss
Nelson wants us to have lessons, but of course father is the person we
must really obey. I know father is going to London to-day, and he will
leave by the early train. And what I want you to do is this, Maggie;
to wait about for father, and catch him, and get him to consent to
give us a holiday to-day. If he says so, of course Miss Nelson has got
to submit."

"All right," said Marjorie. "I don't mind a bit. Eric and I can watch
for the carriage, and perhaps Macnab will let us drive round to the
house. Then we'll do our best to get father to consent."

She did not wait to exchange any more words with her sister, but
dashed out of the room.

At eight o'clock the schoolroom party assembled for breakfast. Miss
Nelson had decided not to say anything to Ermengarde until the meal
was over. Her salutation of the little girl was scarcely more cold
than usual, and Ermie sat down to the breakfast-table without the
least idea that her delinquency of the day before had been discovered.

Marjorie was the late one on this occasion. She rushed into the room
with her hair un-plaited and her cheeks glowing.

"A holiday! a holiday!" she cried. "Father has asked you to give us a
holiday, please, Miss Nelson, in honor of the boys. A lovely whole
holiday! Father has gone to London, but he scribbled you a message on
this card. Here it is! You'll say yes, won't you, Miss Nelson? and oh,
it is such a lovely day!"

"Get your hair plaited properly, Marjorie, and come and sit down to
breakfast," said her governess. She received Mr. Wilton's card without
comment.

Ermengarde and Basil, however, exchanged delighted glances, and Basil,
bending forward in that courteous way which always won the heart of
the governess, said, "You will let us all have the holiday together,
as my father wishes it?"

"You can go, of course, Basil," replied Miss Nelson.

She laid a stress on the word "you," but neither Basil nor Ermengarde
noticed it. They began to chat together over the delights of the day
which lay before them. The holiday spirit was caught up by the younger
children, and soon an uproar and excitement of