wn the first flight.

Alice and I flew to the rescue. I lived in dread of Philip really
injuring Charles some day, for his blows were becoming serious ones as
he grew taller and stronger, and his self-control did not seem to wax
in proportion. And Charles's temper was becoming very aggressive. On
this occasion, as soon as he had regained breath, and we found that no
bones were broken, it was only by main force that we held him back
from pursuing Philip.

"I'll hit him--I'll stick to him," he sobbed in his fury, shaking his
head like a terrier, and doubling his fists. But he was rather sick
with the fall, and we made him lie down to recover himself, whilst
Alice, Bobby, and I laid our heads together to plan a substitute for
Philip in the Dragon.

When bed-time came, and Philip was still absent, we became uneasy, and
as I lay sleepless that night I asked myself if I had been to blame
for the sulks in which he had gone off. In fits of passion Philip had
often threatened to go away and never let us hear of him again. I
knew that such things did happen, and it made me unhappy when he went
off like this, although his threats had hitherto been no more than a
common and rather unfair device of ill-temper.

CHAPTER VIII.

I HEAR FROM PHILIP--A NEW PART WANTED--I LOSE MY TEMPER--WE ALL LOSE
OUR TEMPERS.

Next morning's post brought the following letter from Philip:--

"MY DEAR ISOBEL,

"You need not bother about the Dragon--I'll do it. But I wish you
would put another character into the piece. It is for Clinton. He says
he will act with us. He says he can do anything if it is a leading
part. He has got black velvet knickerbockers and scarlet stockings,
and he can have the tunic and cloak I wore last year, and the flap
hat; and you must lend him your white ostrich feather. Make him some
kind of a grandee. If you can't, he must be the Prince, and Charles
can do some of the Travellers. We are going out on the marsh this
morning, but I shall be with you after luncheon, and Clinton in the
evening. He does not want any rehearsing, only a copy of the plan.
Let Alice make it, her writing is the clearest, and I wish she would
make me a new one; I've torn mine, and it is so dirty, I shall never
be able to read it inside the Dragon. Don't forget.

"Your affectionate brother,

"PHILIP."

There are limits to one's patience, and with some of us they are not
very wide. Philip had passed the bounds of mine, and my natural