Kate, it's from Loftie!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, it's from Loftie," responded Catherine. "Let us come and sit under
the elm-tree and read what he says, May."

The girls seated themselves together on a rustic bench, tore open the
thick letter, and acquainted themselves with its contents.

"Dearest,--I'm coming home to-morrow night. _Must_ see the mater.
Have got into a fresh scrape. Don't tell anyone but May--I mean about
the scrape.

"Your devoted brother,

"LOFTUS."

Catherine read this letter twice, once to herself, then aloud for
Mabel's benefit.

"Now, what's up?" exclaimed Mabel. "It must be very bad. He never calls
you 'dearest;' unless it's awfully bad. Does he, Kitty?"

"No," said Catherine. "Poor mother," she added then, and she gave a
profound and most ungirlish sigh.

"Why, Catherine, you have been grumbling at mother all day! You have
been feeling so cross about her."

"You never will understand, Mabel! I grumble at mother for her
frettiness, but I love her, I pity her for her sorrows."

Mabel looked full into her sister's face.

"I confess I don't understand you," she said. "I can't love one side of
a person, and hate the other side; I don't know that I love or hate
anybody very much. It's more comfortable not to do things very much,
isn't it, Kitty?"

"I suppose so," replied Catherine, "but I can't say. That isn't my
fashion. I do everything very much. I love, I hate, I joy or sorrow, all
in extremes. Perhaps it isn't a good way, but it's the only way I've
got. Now let us talk about Loftus. I wonder if he is going to stay long,
and if he will make himself pleasant."

"No fear of that," responded Mabel. "He'll be as selfish and exacting as
ever he can be. He'll keep mother in a state of fret, and you in a state
of excitement, and he'll insist on smoking a cigarette close to the new
cretonne curtains in the drawing-room, and he'll make me go out in the
hot part of the day to gather fresh strawberries for him. Oh, I do think
brothers are worries! I wish he wasn't coming. We are very peaceful and
snug here. And mother's face doesn't looked harassed as it often did
when we were in town. I do wish Loftus wasn't coming to upset
everything. It was he turned us away from our nice, sprightly, jolly
London, and now, surely he need not follow us into the country. Yes,
Catherine, what words of wisdom or reproof are going to drop from your
lips?"

"Not any," replied Catherine. "I can't ma