Eliza accepted the little gift quite graciously, bade us
all good-bye, said she had enjoyed herself very much, left messages for
father and mother, and finally betook herself away. We watched her cross
the yard, tall, stately, erect, and disappear down the lane. Then,
as often aforetime, we gathered together in the cheer of the red
hearth-flame, while outside the wind of a winter twilight sang through
fair white valleys brimmed with a reddening sunset, and a faint, serene,
silver-cold star glimmered over the willow at the gate.

"Well," said Felicity, drawing a relieved breath, "I'm glad she's gone.
She certainly is queer, just as mother said."

"It's a different kind of queerness from what I expected, though," said
the Story Girl meditatively. "There's something I can't quite make out
about Aunt Eliza. I don't think I altogether like her."

"I'm precious sure I don't," said Dan.

"Oh, well, never mind. She's gone now and that's the last of it," said
Cecily comfortingly.

But it wasn't the last of it--not by any manner of means was it! When
our grown-ups returned almost the first words Aunt Janet said were,

"And so you had the Governor's wife to tea?"

We all stared at her.

"I don't know what you mean," said Felicity. "We had nobody to tea
except Great-aunt Eliza. She came this afternoon and--"

"Great-aunt Eliza? Nonsense," said Aunt Janet. "Aunt Eliza was in town
today. She had tea with us at Aunt Louisa's. But wasn't Mrs. Governor
Lesley here? We met her on her way back to Charlottetown and she told
us she was. She said she was visiting a friend in Carlisle and thought
she'd call to see father for old acquaintance sake. What in the world
are all you children staring like that for? Your eyes are like saucers."

"There was a lady here to tea," said Felicity miserably, "but we thought
it was Great-aunt Eliza--she never SAID she wasn't--I thought she acted
queer--and we all yelled at her as if she was deaf--and said things to
each other about her nose--and Pat running over her clothes--"

"She must have heard all you said while I was showing her the
photographs, Dan," cried Cecily.

"And about the Governor at tea time," chuckled unrepentant Dan.

"I want to know what all this means," said Aunt Janet sternly.

She knew in due time, after she had pieced the story together from
our disjointed accounts. She was horrified, and Uncle Alec was mildly
disturbed, but Uncle Roger roared with laughter and Aunt Oliv