osened the mangold head,
which we had not been able to fasten on very securely, and, rolling off
with a bound, it fell at the feet of the astounded George.

A yell of disgusted wrath arose from the indignant boys, and I could not
forbear to run into the room, clapping my hands in my glee, while Cathy
peered down through the trap-door in rejoicing triumph.

"Done you this time, old fellows!" cried Cathy.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd be taken in by such an easy fake!" I echoed.

"Made it ourselves!" exploded Cathy from above. "Only Father's old suit
stuffed with hay! And you thought you had done for him! I think I could
tell you who sent that letter if you were to ask me!"

"Come down, you young wretch!" said Edward. "If you let yourself drop,
I'll catch you. Well, of all the sells I've ever had in my life, this is
about the biggest. So you wrote that precious letter, did you? It was
uncommonly smartly done, too! And as for this countenance, it's simply
ripping!"

And he burst into a roar as he picked up the head of our decapitated
house-breaker.

I really think the boys laughed as much as we did, for they were
good-natured enough not to mind a joke at their own expense.

"You've jolly well taken us in for once," said Dick. "And I give you the
credit for it. I didn't think you girls could have got it all up so
neatly. You've scored no end, and I suppose now you'll be satisfied, and
cry quits about the antiquities."

CHAPTER VIII

A BREAKING-UP PARTY

"What has this day deserved? What hath it done
That it in golden letters should be set
Among the high tides in the kalendar?"

Cathy and I went back to school with much regret. After the freedom of
our life at Marshlands it seemed difficult to settle down again to the
strict discipline of The Hollies, with Miss Percy's manifold rules and
regulations. It was exciting, nevertheless, to meet our friends once
more, and to hear the accounts of their holiday rambles and sea-side
adventures. We made quite a little round amongst the various bedrooms,
admiring Janet's new pictures, helping to arrange Olave's books,
partaking of Blanche's hospitable offers of cheese-cakes and chocolate,
bewailing the lengthened hours of the time-table, and all chattering
like a flock of sparrows.

In her quiet, undemonstrative way, Lucy was glad to see me again. I
think she had found the holidays a little dull without me, and she
listened rather wistfully to my rapt