domineering voice.

"We have watched you all the week," she said, "and we made up our minds
to know you. We thought we had better wait until your mother and nurse
were out of sight, in case they forbid us to come. Us two are twins."

"Oh, they wouldn't forbid you," said Amy, with hasty politeness.

The boy smiled in a superior way. "They _might_" he said. "Nurses
generally do. We are not particularly good, and nurses are so
narrow-minded."

"We are reckless," said the girl. "Our names are Dot and Dash."

"They're pretty good names," said Tom.

"They fit us," said the twins in a breath.

"Both of we were taken out of church last Sunday," said Dot, in an
explanatory way and with an air of pride. "When the clergyman came from
inside the railings, Dash forgot he was in church, and he jumped up and
said quite loud, 'Shut the gate.'"

"Whatever for?" said Tom.

"You see," said Dash, with his air of modest pride, "I always spend the
time thinking how many sheep I could pen into the pews, and how many cows
I could get behind the railings. I think it could be seventeen _with a
squash_, but of course, if you left the gate open, the cows would get
into the sheep pens; so, when I saw him go out and leave the bar up, I
felt I must run and shut it, and I spoke out loud. I didn't really mean
to, but father marched us out of church, and he wouldn't let me explain."

"I suppose you oughtn't to have been thinking of cows and sheep in
church," said Amy, in her surprised little voice.

"Shut up, Miss Prig," said Dash; and Amy was obediently silent.

"Shall we play together?" said the twins, with one voice.

"It would be jolly," said Tom.--"Wouldn't it, Susie?"

"Well, you mustn't tell your people," they said, "but every morning after
your babies go in we might have a jolly game."

"Mother wouldn't mind, would she, Susie?" said Amy.

"We don't want your opinion," said Tom loftily.

Amy blushed till the tears came. "Would she?" she repeated desperately.

"There's no harm in playing," said Susie.

All her good resolutions were slipping away, and her voice grew excited.
Susie was always so carried away by the spirit of adventure, and she
forgot so easily. These sands, and the silver sea full of monsters! The
black rocks and seaweed--no nurse to bother about wet stockings--no
babies who needed a good example! Susie's spirits rose.

"There wouldn't be any harm," she cried eagerly, "and we might have some
jolly games. We