pted talk of the morning. The
others wandered away in different directions, and Nora and Kitty found
themselves together. Nora felt rather discontented. She missed Annie
Forest, not because she particularly liked her just now, but because
Annie's conduct during their morning walk had rather piqued her. Nora
was quite sharp enough to read Kitty's secret in her troubled, demure,
watchful and impatient eyes. She thought it would be rather good fun to
bully Kitty a little.

"What are you staring through that long line of trees for?" she said.
"Come here, and out with it at once. You know you're bursting with a
secret. If you don't tell soon you'll explode, and there'll be nothing
left of you. Come here, I say, and out with it."

Nora thought it quite unnecessary to put on her society manners for
Kitty's benefit.

"Come here, Kit, at once, when I call you," she said, in a cross voice.

"I needn't come if I don't like," answered Kitty. "I'm not obliged to
obey you, so don't you think it."

"Highty tighty. Do you suppose I'm going to take impertinence from a
little chit like you? You know perfectly well where Annie Forest has
gone, and it is your duty to tell."

"I won't tell. There!"

"Ah!" laughed Nora, now thoroughly exasperated. "I guessed you had a
secret. I knew it when I saw you shutting up your lips so straightly,
and putting on that little demure expression whenever Annie's name was
mentioned. Now you have confessed it."

"I have confessed nothing," said Kitty in alarm.

"Yes, you have; you said you wouldn't tell. How could you say you
wouldn't tell if you had nothing to tell? I know mother is uneasy about
Annie, and I know Jane Macalister is uneasy, and you know where she is
and you dare to keep them in suspense. Come along to mother at once.
She'll soon get this secret out of you."

"I won't go, Nora--I won't. I'll climb up into this tree, where you
can't catch me. Here," continued Kitty, suiting the action to the word,
"you can't catch me up here; you can't. I won't go to mother--no, I
won't."

"You will if I make you," said Nora. "You think I can't climb."

"You wouldn't dare to climb!" exclaimed Kitty, shouting down from the
foliage of the tree into which she had hastily swung herself. "You'll
get your frock all torn, and Molly and Jane will be just mad. You
daren't climb, Nora--you daren't. You can't catch me Nora--you can't."

Nora had a quick temper, and Kitty's manner was most exasperating. Un