only wouldn't tell mother, because it might worry her."

"Mother can walk on the rocks," cried Amy eagerly.

"I don't believe it," said Dash. "I don't believe an old woman like that
can walk a bit--not like we can."

"Not as fast as us," said Susie.--"Don't be tiresome, Amy; it isn't
mother who is tiresome--it's nurse."

"Well, we'll meet to-morrow," said the twins, speaking together, as they
generally did, at the top of rather squeaky voices.

They pulled Susie to one side.

"Don't tell the other one," they said, in hoarse whispers; "she'd go and
tell."

"She's very young," said Susie, in quick apology, as she ran off.

"Both of we has pails," shouted the twins after her, "and we can bring
cake."

"We are not allowed curranty cake," said Susie reluctantly.

"Bosh," said the twins. "Who's to know? We come of a very gouty family,
and _we_ may eat curranty cake."

"I dare say a little piece wouldn't matter," said Susie.

"O Susie," said Amy, as she plodded breathlessly over the sand to the
steps, "she called mother an old woman!"

"Well?" said Susie.

"She is the most young and the most beautiful lady I have ever seen,"
said Amy, with flushed cheeks.

"Yes, of course," said Susie.

"They seemed rather rude," said Amy.

"It isn't being rude, it's being _reckless_. Didn't you hear them say
so?"

"Aren't they the same, Susie?"

"Not at all," said Susie, with her nose in the air. "It's _older_ to be
reckless; it's much easier to be rude. But you mustn't tell, Amy."

"O Susie, I'll try not," said Amy; "but when mother asks me I don't know
what to do."

"Well, you can hold your tongue," said Susie sharply.

CHAPTER VI.

Susie felt a little excited next morning when she remembered the twins,
and all the time she was digging moats and piling up sand castles she had
one eye fixed on the active figures of her new friends, who, with bare
legs and shrill voices, attracted a good deal of attention. Once she
tried timidly to "draw" nurse on the subject, but nurse was not
responsive.

"Those are rather splendid children," she said wistfully.

"Where?" said nurse, lifting a calculating eye from the heel of the
stocking she was knitting, and looking vaguely round the horizon.

"There--on the rock," said Susie eagerly. "Tom and I want to go on the
rocks so much, and those children could help us; they are so very--so
very _reckless_."

"So very rude," said nurse dispassionately.

The very words