y-five, Madame."

"Seventy-five!" repeated grandmother. "Ah, well, Marie, I am not so very
far behind you, though it seems as if I were growing younger lately--does
it not?--with my little girls and my boy beside me. You must come up to
see us to-morrow that we may give you our good wishes. Thank you for the
beautiful apples. Some day you must tell the children the history of your
apple-tree, Marie."

Marie's old face got quite red with pleasure. "Ah, but Madame is too
kind," she said. "A stupid old woman like me to be asked to tell her
little stories--but we shall see--some day, perhaps. So that the
apples taste good, old Marie will be pleased indeed."

"What is the story of Marie's apple-tree, grandmother?" said Sylvia, as
they walked back to the house.

"She must tell you herself," said grandmother. "She will be coming up
to-morrow morning to see us, as it is her birthday, and you must ask her
about it. Poor old Marie."

"Has she been a long time with you, grandmother dear?" said Molly.

"Twelve or thirteen years, soon after we first came here. She was in
great trouble then, poor thing; but she will tell you all about it. She
is getting old, you see, and old people are always fond of talking, they
say--like your poor old grandmother--eh, Molly?"

"_Grandmother_," said Molly, flying at her and hugging her, for by this
time they were in the drawing-room again, and Molly's spirits had quite
revived.

The apples turned out very good indeed. Even Ralph, who, since he had
been in France, had grown so exceedingly "John Bull," that he could
hardly be persuaded to praise anything not English, condescended to
commend them.

"No wonder they're good," said Molly, as she handed him his second one,
"they're _fairy_ apples I'm sure," and she nodded her head mysteriously.

"Fairy rubbish," said Ralph, taking a good bite of the apple's rosy
cheek.

"Well, they're something like that, any way," persisted Molly.
"Grandmother said so."

"_I_ said so! My dear! I think your ears have deceived you."

"Well, grandmother dear, I know you didn't exactly say so, but what you
said made me think so," explained Molly.

"Not quite the same thing," said grandmother. "You shall hear to-morrow
all there is to tell--a very simple little story. How did you get on at
school, to-day, Ralph?"

"Oh, right enough," said Ralph. "Some of the fellows are nice enough. But
some of them are awful cads. There's one--he's about thirteen, a year o