f my holiday task, for,
frankly, I have not looked at it yet, and I don't mean to do so until
the last week of the holidays. Now, do let's all begin breakfast; even
though I am queen, I happen to have an appetite. Annie, what are you in
a brown study about? Why, you look quite pale!"

"I expect Annie is so glad about Mrs. Willis that she can scarcely
speak," said Hester, glancing at her friend in an affectionate manner.
"Yes, we had better get breakfast through. I shall give Mrs. Willis the
maple room, with that lovely west view. There is a little sitting-room
which goes with it, where she can be quiet whenever she wants to be
quiet. How glad nursey will be when she hears that dear Mrs. Willis is
coming."

Hester began to perform the duties of tea-maker in a rather abstracted
manner. As she kept on filling up cups of tea, she also glanced from
time to time at the letter which gave her such delight.

"It is such a surprise," she said; "perhaps that is half the pleasure."

"Please don't put any more sugar into my tea," exclaimed Annie in an
almost cross voice; "you know I never touch sugar, and that is the
fourth lump."

"Oh, I am sorry," exclaimed Hester; "I'll take that cup and you shall
have mine."

"You put five lumps into your own cup, I watched you; oh, dear, it
doesn't matter, of course."

"No, it doesn't matter," said Hester, still reading her letter. "Molly,
will you pass the tea on, please. Oh, yes, I'll have some honey; you can
put a piece on my plate if you like."

"The only plate you have before you at present contains eggs and bacon,"
exclaimed Molly. "I think I won't help the honey for a few minutes."

"This is a delightful surprise," murmured Hester; "but, dear me, it is
rather strange, Mrs. Willis says she wrote to you last week, Annie, and
said that she would try to give us a couple of days at the Grange on her
way back to Lavender House. How was it you never mentioned it?"

There was just a pause long enough to be noticed before Annie replied.

"I did not get the letter," she said then, in a steady voice.

She hated herself the moment she had uttered the words. She felt as if
she had fallen from a height, and was lying maimed and bruised, bleeding
and ugly in some dismal abyss; but all the time her eyes looked bright
and her face was cheerful.

Hester exclaimed, "How strange! what a pity! How could the letter have
gone astray?" but other thoughts soon chased this one from her mind.

Bre