is is most comfortable. You'll begin to tell me all you can about the
Towers, won't you?" she continued, bending slightly forward and laying
her fat hand on Nora's slim white arm; "and so you really are a
Lorrimer? How profoundly interesting."

Nora fidgeted restlessly on her sofa.

"I'm a Lorrimer," she said at last in a steady voice. "I--I don't think
I can tell you about the Towers; you'll probably go and see the place
for yourself, either to-morrow or Monday."

"I shall certainly go to-morrow, and at an early hour, too; my father is
most anxious to get my opinion on it."

"Well, then, you'll see it for yourself."

"So I shall--quite true, little Miss Rosebud; but, nevertheless, there
is such a thing as curiosity, which, doubtless, you can gratify. Now,
let's begin. I'm nothing if I'm not practical. How many bedrooms are
there?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know? Are you simple? Have not you lived there all your
life?"

"I have, but I don't really know. Perhaps if I count I can tell you.
First, in the Tower, there's Jane Macalister's room, and Boris sleeps
near her, and then there's Kitty--she has a room to herself--it's rather
small, but she's immensely proud of it, and there's Nell and--"

Susy suddenly clapped her hands to her ears.

"For goodness sake stop," she exclaimed. "What do I care for your
Macalisters, and Boris's, and Kittys? I want to know how many bedrooms
there are--ten, twelve, twenty, thirty? Can't you count?"

"Yes, perfectly," replied Nora with spirit; "but I never troubled myself
to count the number of bedrooms at the Towers; you can do so for
yourself when you go to see it to-morrow."

"Thanks for nothing. If I'm anything I'm practical, and I shall not only
count the bedrooms to-morrow, but measure them also. I shall take a
measuring tape with me, and my maid Linette and a foot measure."

"How pleasant for Linette to be sandwiched between a measuring tape and
a foot measure," exclaimed Annie, turning round from her position at the
window and speaking for the first time.

Susy favoured her with a slow glance of intense dislike. Slightly
turning her back she proceeded with her catechism of Nora.

"At least you can say something about the drawing-rooms. How many feet
long is the principal drawing-room?"

Before poor Nora could reply, the door of the room was slowly opened and
Mrs. Willis, with her usual calm, strong face, entered.

Susy Drummond gave such a start of dismayed su