and faded face upon
her sister's shoulder.

"Hush, dear," coaxed Auntie Alice, in her soft, cooing voice. "You will
make yourself ill, and what should I do then? Besides, there is no use
in giving way like that--until we are sure there is no longer room for
hope, at any rate. It is not a week yet since the children disappeared.
There's no guessing where they may have gone--off to Africa to find
their father, as likely as not!" laughed Auntie Alice. "Darby would
start in a minute--you know how hazy are his ideas of places and
distance--and Joan follows wherever he leads. Some one will be finding
them wandering about and bringing them back to us directly, you'll see.
I shouldn't be a bit surprised," she added, in answer to her sister's
look of astonishment, in which there was mingled a faint ray of hope.
"And Dr. King agrees with me that it's some wild scheme or other that
has taken them off, although perhaps not just Africa."

"Dr. King!" exclaimed Miss Turner, with a touch of her former asperity;
"what does Dr. King know about the affair more than I do? But, of
course, he would agree with you--ay, if you said the moon was made of
green cheese!"

Miss Alice blushed prettily at her sister's words; indeed, she always
did blush when Dr. King's name was mentioned. Even Darby used to notice
it, and invariably fixed his eye upon his aunt to see the soft
rose-colour rise in the cheeks which were still smooth and round enough
to show off a blush becomingly.

"It's not alone Dr. King who believes they've gone off on some
wild-goose chase," continued Miss Alice presently. "The rector thinks so
too; and Mrs. Grey gets quite angry when her husband declares the
children are drowned."

"Maybe, maybe," replied, Miss Turner gloomily; "and I'm sure I hope
you're right. But one thing I'm certain of is that they've not set out
for Africa. Darby would never take such a ridiculous notion into his
head. He knew perfectly well how far away it is, and how people go
there. Why, if there was one thing I drummed into him thoroughly over
and above everything else--except the commandments, perhaps--it was
Africa! But all the same, it's the thought of Africa that's just killing
me, sister," moaned the poor lady in piteous tones. "What will their
father say? What will he think of us? How are we to tell him? for tell
him we must without further delay. That cablegram has got to go
to-morrow. It's all very well for Dr. King and Mr. Grey and the re