he morning, when all the Sunday bells were ringing, and they were
playing over a game of piquet they had had the night before!"

"Well, numbers of good people play at cards of a Sunday. The King plays
at cards of a Sunday."

"Hush, my dear!"

"I know he does," says Hetty, "with that painted person we saw
yesterday--that Countess what-d'you-call-her?"

"I think, my dear Miss Hester, a clergyman had best take to God's books
instead of the Devil's books on that day--and so I took the liberty of
telling your parson." Hetty looked as if she thought it was a liberty
which Mr. Wolfe had taken. "And I told our young friend that I thought
he had better have been on his way to church than there in his bedgown."

"You wouldn't have Harry go to church in a dressing-gown and nightcap,
Colonel Wolfe? That would be a pretty sight, indeed!" again says Hetty,
fiercely.

"I would have my little girl's tongue not wag quite so fast," remarks
papa, patting the girl's flushed little cheek.

"Not speak when a friend is attacked, and nobody says a word in his
favour? No; nobody!"

Here the two lips of the little mouth closed on each other: the whole
little frame shook: the child flung a parting look of defiance at Mr.
Wolfe, and went out of the room, just in time to close the door, and
burst out crying on the stair.

Mr. Wolfe looked very much discomfited. "I am sure, Aunt Lambert, I did
not intend to hurt Hester's feelings."

"No, James," she said, very kindly--the young officer used to call her
Aunt Lambert in quite early days--and she gave him her hand.

Mr. Lambert whistled his favourite tune of "Over the hills and far
away," with a drum accompaniment performed by his fingers on the window.
"I say, you mustn't whistle on Sunday, papa!" cries the artless young
gown-boy from Grey Friars; and then suggested that it was three hours
from breakfast, and he should like to finish Theo's cheese-cake.

"Oh, you greedy child!" cries Theo. But here, hearing a little
exclamatory noise outside, she ran out of the room, closing the door
behind her. And we will not pursue her. The noise was that sob which
broke from Hester's panting, overloaded heart; and, though we cannot
see, I am sure the little maid flung herself on her sister's neck, and
wept upon Theo's kind bosom.

Hetty did not walk out in the afternoon when the family took the air
on the common, but had a headache and lay on her bed, where her mother
watched her. Charley had disco