,' said his aunt, 'although your mother has not
written to me for six months.'

'Then how do you know?' asked Jimmy.

'Because she wrote to your Aunt Ellen at Chesterham, and your Aunt Ellen
wrote to me. I should not be surprised if your father and mother were on
their way home now. They may arrive in England quite soon.'

'It would be nice,' said Jimmy, and he began to laugh. 'Will they come
here?' he asked.

'Certainly not,' was the answer. 'I have no accommodation for visitors.'

'There's the spare bedroom,' cried Jimmy.

'I have no doubt,' said Aunt Selina, 'that they will go to Aunt Ellen's
at Chesterham----'

'Couldn't I go to Aunt Ellen's?' asked Jimmy eagerly.

'And pray who is to take you?' demanded Miss Morton.

'Why, couldn't I go alone?' said Jimmy.

Miss Morton did not answer, but she put on her eye-glasses again, and
looked Jimmy up and down from head to foot.

'Ring the bell,' she said, and when he had rung the bell and the butler
had come, Aunt Selina told him to send Hannah. Jimmy stood on the
hearth-rug--whilst the black cat rubbed its back against his
leg--wondering who Hannah might be. When she came, he saw that she was
one of the servants, with a red, kind-looking face; and Aunt Selina told
her to take him away and to give him some tea. When they were outside
the door Hannah took his hand, and he felt that he liked having his hand
taken, and she led him downstairs to a small room near the kitchen where
she gave him such a tea as he had never had before. There were cake and
jam, and hot scones, and buttered toast, and although it was not very
long since dinner, Jimmy ate a good meal.

He told Hannah all about his father and mother and Winnie, and how that
Miss Morton had said perhaps they were on their way home; and he told
her he hoped that his aunt would send him to Chesterham.

'Because,' he said, 'I know I could go all right alone.'

Hannah put an arm round him and kissed him, but Jimmy did not much like
being kissed; still he felt lonely this afternoon, and he did not mind
it so much as he would have done sometimes, especially if any of his
schoolfellows had been there.

'Now,' said Hannah presently, 'I think you had better go back to Miss
Morton.'

'Must I?' asked Jimmy. 'Because I like being here best.'

But she led him back to the dining-room, and as soon as he entered the
door Aunt Selina asked what time he went to bed.

'Eight o'clock at school,' he answered, 'but when