t's it about?' And he gave Pamela's right foot
a nudge with his left by way of conveying to her that he thought her
behaviour ungracious. Pamela hurriedly murmured, 'Delighted.'

'I want to tell you about the servants,' said Elizabeth. 'I can't do
anything unless you help me.'

'Help you in what?' said Desmond, wondering.

'Well, you know, it's simply scandalous what you're all eating in
this house!' exclaimed Elizabeth, with sudden energy. 'You ought to
be fined.' She frowned, and her fair Dutch complexion became a
bright pink.

'It's quite true,' said Pamela, startled. 'I told father, and he
laughed at me.'

'But now even the servants are on strike,' said Elizabeth. 'It's
Forest that's been preaching to them. He and Cook have been drawing
up a week's _menu_, according to the proper scale. But--'

'Father won't have it,' said Pamela decidedly.

'An idea has occurred to me,' was Elizabeth's apologetic reply.
'Your father doesn't come in to lunch?'

'Happy thought!' cried Desmond. 'Send him in a Ritz luncheon, while
the rest of you starve. Easy enough for me to say as I'm off--and
soldiers aren't rationed! We may be as greedy pigs as we like.'

'What do you say?' Elizabeth looked at Pamela. The girl was
flattered by the deference shown her, and gradually threw herself
into the little plot. How to set up a meatless day for the
household, minus the Squire, and not be found out; how to restrict
the bread and porridge allowance, while apparently outrunning
it--knotty problems! into which the twins plunged with much laughter
and ingenuity. At the end of the discussion, Elizabeth said with
hesitation, 'I don't like not telling Mr. Mannering, but--'

'Oh no, you can't tell him' said Pamela, in her most resolute tone.
'Besides, it's for the country!'

'Yes, it's the country!' echoed Elizabeth. 'Oh, I'm so glad you
agree with me. Forest's splendid!'

'I say, Broomie's not bad,' thought Desmond. Aloud he said,
'Forest's a regular Turk in the servants' hall--rules them all with
a rod of iron.'

Elizabeth laughed. 'He tells me there was a joint of cold beef last
night for supper, and he carried it away bodily back into the
larder. And they all supped on fried potatoes, cheese, oatcake and
jam! So then I asked him whether anybody minded, and he said the
little kitchen-maid cried a bit, and said she "was used to her
vittles and her mother would be dreadfully put out." "'_Mother_!'
says I, 'haven't you got _a young ma