eelings. Whereupon Aunt Mattie,
not seeming very surprised, though in her heart she was startled at the
look in the big grey eyes under the shade of the grey bonnet, picked him
up, still kicking, and plumped him down between herself and the little
grey person, who by this time was seated beside her, two chairs having
somehow been got at.

Ger was too surprised to go on kicking, _or_ to cry. He just opened his
mouth wide and stared. Then 'Aunt-ie,' he began slowly, in a tone of
reproach, 'thoo----'

But he got no further.

'Ger,' said auntie gravely, 'I'm ashamed of you. You haven't even said
"How do you do?" or shaken hands with this young lady. She isn't
accustomed to see little boys fighting and kicking each other.'

'I diddun fight,' said Ger, 'I on'y kicked. Hec begunned.'

'I!' exclaimed Hec, ready to swell up with indignation like an angry
turkey-cock, '_I_-- I were fetchin' a chair and----'

'Stop, boys,' said Aunt Mattie again. 'Now let's go on nicely. This is
Ger, and he wants to be very polite now and shake hands--eh, Ger?'

Ger's round blue eyes were fixed on the small stranger.

'Her's not a young lady,' he said at last. 'Ger 'ud rather kith her.'

The little girl leaned forward at once, and kissed his firm, plump
cheek.

'Thoo ith tho thoft,' he said, and he stroked her cape and the
chinchilla muff she was holding. 'I know--thoo's a _mouse_.'

He said the 's' quite plainly, for his lisp was a very changeable one,
and already he was on the way to lose it altogether.

Everybody laughed. Ger liked the sound of the laugh--it was not making
fun of him.

'Yeth,' he went on, 'uth'll call thoo'--with some effort--'Mith Mouse.'

Miss Mouse leant forward a second time and kissed him again.

'You funny little boy,' she said. 'You may call me "Miss Mouse" if you
please, but wouldn't you like to know my proper name?'

Ger shook his head.

'No thank thoo. I like Mith Mouse best.'

'But _we'd_ like to know your real name,' said Archie. 'Wouldn't
we--Justin and Hec, and--oh Pat's asleep over a book again, I suppose.'

'I'm not,' growled a voice from an opposite corner.

'Well then, behave properly. Come out of there, can't you? Aunt Mattie,
make him.'

'Patrick,' said Aunt Mattie, and Pat got up and came slowly forward. He
was not like Justin, and Hec, and Ger, who were all fair and ruddy; he
was dark-haired and dark-eyed and pale, while Archie, the best-looking
of the five, came between the two,