about secrets, but it's all right now, and we are all
going to be so happy with the doll-house, aren't we? Now you must kiss
Celestina too; you don't know what a lot she's done. She hemmed the
sheets of the beds and the table-cloths and ever so many things, and her
mamma dressed the dolls--and--oh yes, Roughie papered nearly all the
rooms, and----'

But here Rosalys, who seemed to be turning all of a sudden into a
regular chatterbox, was interrupted by more huggings and squeezings, as
Rough rather objected to much of this sort of thing, and Biddy had still
a great deal to spare even after she had bestowed a full share upon
Celestina. She quieted down, however, when Miss Millet suggested that
unless they set to work to go all over the house and admire all its
numberless treasures, it would be getting too late for the nice walk
they wanted to have before dinner. But in the midst of the showing
everything Celestina made them all laugh by calmly taking a little
parcel from her pocket, from which she drew out three or four little
dolls, announcing that they were Eleanor and Amy and one or two new
ones, all in grand clothes for the occasion, who had come to spend the
day with the Rectory doll party.

'You did invite them, Alie, you remember, don't you?' she said, looking
a little bit aggrieved. 'They would never have come without being
invited.'

'Oh yes, I know I did,' Rosalys replied. 'It was only the funny way you
pulled them out of your pocket.'

'And some day, Biddy, mother says, perhaps you'll bring yours to drink
tea with mine,' said Celestina, quite pleased again. 'We might pretend
that mine were some cousins they had in the country who were not very
rich, you know,' she went on simply. 'And I'd make their parlour as
smart as I could. I'd try to dress it up with flowers and green, so that
it would be like an arbour.'

'Yes,' said Biddy, 'that _would_ be nice. And _we_ might have tea as
well as the dolls, mightn't we, Celestina? You know once you told me
about some little cups you have that we might have tea out of.'

'Oh yes,' Celestina replied hospitably, '_of course_ we'd have real tea
too. Mother would make some cakes and----'

'My dears,' said Miss Millet, 'I think we must be going out. You will
have all the rest of the day to play with the doll-house, but it is such
a lovely morning, and I think it's always so nice to have a good walk on
a holiday.'

The little girls were quite of their governess's opin