by the time Jean reached the door no one was to be seen,
though a doll, dropped in the hurried flight, afforded some evidence of
the intruders.

"I suppose they wanted to peep at you," said Jean. "Mother told them
they must be good this afternoon, and not bother if I wanted to have you
to myself. As a rule they cling to me like burs from morning till
night."

"Oh, do let us go to see them!" said Patty.

"Very well, but you don't know what you're undertaking," said Jean,
leading the way to the nursery. "You won't get rid of them all the rest
of the time you're here."

Nell and Jamie proved to be roguish-looking little people of seven and
five, with round, pink, dimpled cheeks, and crops of beautiful thick
auburn curls. They were the babies of the household, and Patty could see
that Jean, though she affected to find them troublesome, was secretly
immensely proud of them, and pleased to have an opportunity of showing
them to her friend. They were not at all shy; both climbed readily upon
the visitor's knees, and began to talk in a most friendly fashion.

"We're going to be very good," announced Jamie, whose small fingers were
busy examining Patty's brooch and locket. "We're not going to do
anything we oughtn't."

"So you say," said Jean, "but you haven't asked Patty if she likes her
locket opened. Be careful, Jamie! You'll break the hinge if you bend it
back. Don't let him, Patty! Put him down if he's a nuisance."

"I like to nurse him," said Patty. "He reminds me of my little brother
Rowley. I think I'll take off the locket and put it in my pocket, and
then it can't come to any harm. What a heavy boy you are, Jamie, for
your age! I'm sure you weigh as much as Nell."

"'Cause I eat more," said Jamie. "I can always win when we have bread
and butter races at tea. How do you like my new blouse? Nurse only
finished it half an hour ago. She made it on purpose because you were
coming. She said I had nothing else to put on."

"Oh, Jamie, I'm sure she didn't!" exclaimed Jean. "You have a whole
drawer full of clean blouses."

"They're all dirty now, every one," confided Nell. "He had on five
yesterday, and two this morning. He spilt his porridge down one at
breakfast, and he nursed Floss in the other. She had just come in from
the garden, and her paws were so muddy."

"I'm afraid he's a handful!" said Patty, kissing the pretty little
fellow who clung round her neck in such a coaxing manner.

"He certainly is," said