e going too."

"Oh bother!" began Silvia. Then the color flew into her face, for
Kathleen heard.

"I shall tell my mother what you said," she declared.

"Dear me! no, you mustn't," begged Silvia in alarm.

"Yes, I shall too." Kathleen's bracelets jingled worse than ever as she
shook them out.

"Well, I call that real hateful," broke out Silvia, a red spot on either
cheek, "you know I didn't mean it."

"Well, you said it. And if you think it's a bother to take my mother and
father out on your old launch, I sha'n't stop here and bring you
anything when I come home from around the world."

Silvia trembled. She very much wanted something from around the world.
So she put her arm about Kathleen. "Oh, make up now," she said. "They're
coming," as Mr. and Mrs. Briggs advanced down the path. "Promise you
won't tell," she begged.

"Yes, do," said Polly Pepper imploringly.

So Kathleen promised, and everything became quite serene, just in time
for Mr. and Mrs. Briggs to have the girls presented to them. And then
they all jumped into the steam launch, and the men sent her into the
lake, and everything was as merry as could be under the circumstances.

"I haven't got to go to school to-morrow," announced Silvia when they
were well off. "Isn't that too fine for anything, girls?"

"Dear me! I should say so," cried Alexia enviously. "How I wish I could
ever stay home! But aunt is so very dreadful, she makes me go every
single day."

"Well, I'm going to stay home to bid Kathleen good-bye, you know," said
Silvia.

"You see we are going around the world," announced Mrs. Briggs. She was
just like Kathleen as far as mother and daughter could be, and she had
more jingling things on, besides a long lace scarf that was catching in
everything; and she carried a white, fluffy parasol in her hand. "And
we've come to bid good-bye to our relatives before we start. Kathleen,
you shouldn't have come out on the water without your hat," for the
first time noticing her daughter's bare head.

"None of the girls have hats on," said Kathleen, shaking her long light
braids.

"Well, I don't see how their mothers can allow it," exclaimed Mrs.
Briggs, glancing around on the group, "but I sha'n't let you, Kathleen.
Dear me! you will ruin your skin. Now you must come under my parasol."
She moved up on the seat. "Here, come over here."

"Oh, I'm not going to," cried Kathleen with a grimace. "I can't see
anything under that old thing. Besides,