pen. They were tremendously relieved, though
what they had feared they never knew. They sat down, one on each side
of her, and each took a hand, but in spite of her eyes being open, it
was quite a time before she seemed conscious of their return. She rose
and slowly looked about her, and as she did so the church clock struck
nine. She could not at first believe it was so late. Convinced by
looking at her watch--there was just light enough for her to see
it--she became all at once more angry than the twins had ever known
her, and for the first time in their lives they both experienced the
sensation of having their ears boxed. Nine o'clock was the proper time
for supper and they were half an hour from home, and it was all their
fault. It did not take them half an hour. It took them twenty
minutes, Mrs. Arlington striding ahead and the twins panting breathless
behind her. Mr. Arlington had not yet returned. He came in five
minutes afterwards, and Mrs. Arlington told him what she thought of
him. It was the shortest supper within the twins' recollection. They
found themselves in bed ten minutes in advance of the record. They
could hear their mother's voice from the kitchen. A jug of milk had
been overlooked and had gone sour. She had given Jane a week's notice
before the clock struck ten.

It was from Mr. Arlington that the Professor heard the news. Mr.
Arlington could not stop an instant, dinner being at twelve sharp and
it wanting but ten minutes to; but seems to have yielded to temptation.
The breakfast hour at the Manor Farm was now six a.m., had been so
since Thursday; the whole family fully dressed and Mrs. Arlington
presiding. If the Professor did not believe it he could come round any
morning and see for himself. The Professor appears to have taken Mr.
Arlington's word for it. By six-thirty everybody at their job and Mrs.
Arlington at hers, consisting chiefly of seeing to it for the rest of
the day that everybody was. Lights out at ten and everybody in bed;
most of them only too glad to be there. "Quite right; keeps us all up
to the mark," was Mr. Arlington's opinion (this was on Saturday). Just
what was wanted. Not perhaps for a permanency; and, of course, there
were drawbacks. The strenuous life--seeing to it that everybody else
leads the strenuous life; it does not go with unmixed amiability.
Particularly in the beginning. New-born zeal: must expect it to
outrun discretion. Does not do to di