received a telegram
from Mr. Cardew. It contained the following words:

"After consideration, I have made up my mind to do myself the great
honor of confiding my girls to your care. Their mother and I will
write to you fully in a day or two."

Mrs. Ward smiled when she received the telegram. "I will do my best
for those children," she said to herself.

CHAPTER IX.

THE NEWS.

Mr. Cardew arrived at Meredith Manor very late that evening. The long
and happy day had come to an end. The Tristram girls and Maggie
Howland had returned to the rectory. Cicely and Merry were having a
long, confidential chat together. They were in Merry's bedroom. They
had dismissed their maid. They were talking of the pleasures of the
day, and in particular were discussing the delightful fact that their
beautiful cousin Aneta had wired to say she would be with them in two
days' time.

They had not seen Aneta for some years, but they both remembered her
vividly. Her memory shone out before them both as something specially
dazzling and specially beautiful. Maggie Howland, too, had spoken of
Aneta's beauty. Maggie had been told that Aneta was coming, and Maggie
had expressed pleasure. Whatever Maggie's private feelings may have
been, she was very careful now to express delight at Aneta's
appearance at Meredith Manor.

"What a darling she is!" said Merry. "I doubt very much--I suppose
it's rank heresy to say so, Cicely, but I really greatly doubt whether
I shall ever prefer Aneta to Maggie. What are mere looks, after all,
when one possesses such charm as Maggie has? That seems to me a much
greater gift."

"We need not compare them, need we?" said Cicely.

"Oh, certainly not," said Merry; "but, Cicely darling, doesn't it seem
funny that such a lot of girls who are all to meet in September at
Aylmer House should be practically staying with us at the present
moment?"

"Yes, indeed," said Cicely. "I feel almost as though I belonged to it,
which of course is quite ridiculous, for we shall never by any chance
go there."

"Of course not," said Merry, and she sighed.

After a time Cicely said, "I wonder what father went to town for
to-day."

"Well, we don't know, so where's the use of troubling?" said Merry.

"I asked mother," said Cicely, "why he went to town, and she said she
couldn't tell me; but she got rather red as she spoke."

"Cicely," said Merry after a long pause, "when these glorious holidays
come to an end, and the