oted," as she said, "to have eyes to things and
watch over the D's."

"You may think it strange," she had said, grandly, that very morning, to
Jack, looking around at the well-polished, old-fashioned furniture, and
the still bright three-ply carpet, "that I should have my sitting-room
down here, and my sleeping apartment up stairs, but so it is. The
servants need watching more than the children, as you know, Mr. Jack,
and I've had to have eyes to things ever since the D's first came.
Master Donald says I ought to call it 'having an eye,' but sakes! what
would one eye be in a house like this? No, it's eyes I want, both eyes,
and more too, with the precious D's wild as young hawks, and Mr. G. as
he is of late, and the way things are."

* * * * *

Lydia looked up when Donald and Dorothy entered, with a "Sakes! You've
not been fretting again, Miss Dorry?"

"No--not exactly fretting, Liddy; that is, not very much. We just came
down to--to-- Give me an apple?"

"Steady! St-e-a-dy!" cried Liddy, as after her hearty "help yourselves,"
the brother and sister made a simultaneous dash at the pan on her ample
lap, playfully contesting for the largest. "One would think you were
starving."

"So we are, Liddy," said Dorothy, biting her apple as she spoke; "we are
starving for a story."

"Yes!" echoed Donald, "a story. We're bound to have it!"

"Hum!" muttered Liddy, much flattered. "Do you know your lessons?"

"Per-fectly!" answered the D's, in one breath. "We studied them right
after Dr. Lane left."

"Well," began Liddy, casting a furtive look at the old mahogany clock on
the mantel; "which story do you want? You've heard 'em all a score of
times."

"Oh, not that kind," said Dorothy, playfully motioning to her brother,
for you see by this time she was quite cheerful again. "We want a
certain par-tic-ular story, don't we, Don?"

Instead of replying, Don took Dorry's outstretched hand with nonsensical
grace, and so dancing to the fireplace together, in a sort of burlesque
minuet, they brought back with them two little mahogany and hair-cloth
foot-benches, placing them at Lydia's feet.

Ignoring the fact that these well-worn seats were absurdly low and
small, the D's settled themselves upon them as comfortably as in the
days gone by, when the benches had been of exactly the right size for
them; and at the risk of upsetting the apples, pan and all, they leaned
toward Liddy with an expressiv