into Tildy's care. Tildy caught her train all
in good time, arrived at Victoria, and took a bus to South Kensington.
A very little inquiry enabled her to find Randal Square, and at about
half-past two she was standing on the steps of that most refined and
genteel home, Aylmer House. The look of the place impressed her, but
did not give her any sense of intimidation. When the door was opened
to her modest ring, and the pleasant, bright-looking parlor-maid
answered her summons, Tildy gazed at her with great interest but
without a scrap of shyness.

"I've come from 'er 'ome to see Miss Maggie 'Owland," said Tildy; "and
I've a message for 'er from 'er ma."

The girl, whose name was Agnes, stared for a minute at Tildy. She
recognized her "sort" in a moment. Tildy belonged to the lodging-house
sort of girl. What she could have to do with one of Agnes's young
ladies puzzled that young person considerably. It was the rule,
however, at Aylmer House that no one, however poor or humble, should
be treated with rudeness, and certainly a person bringing a message to
one of the young ladies was entitled to respect. Agnes said,
therefore, in a polite and superior tone, "Step in, will you, miss?
and I will find out if Miss Howland is in."

Tildy stepped into the hall, feeling, as she expressed it, "dream-like
and queer all over." She did not dare to sit down, but stood on the
mat, gazing with her bright, inquisitive eyes at the various things in
this new world in which she found herself.

"How beauteous!" she kept repeating at intervals. "Why, Laburnum Villa
ain't a patch on this. How very beauteous! No wonder Miss Maggie 'ave
the hair of a queen."

Now, it so happened that Maggie Howland was out, and would not be back
for some time. This was the day when she and the other girls belonging
to her kingdom had gone forth to purchase all sorts of good things for
the coming feast. Maggie, as queen, had put a whole sovereign into the
bag. There would, therefore, be no stint of first-class provisions.
Every sort of eatable that was not usually permitted at Aylmer House
was to grace the board--jelly, meringues, frosted cake, tipsy cake, as
well as chickens garnished in the most exquisite way and prepared
specially by a confectioner round the corner; also different dainties
in aspic jellies were to be ordered. Then flowers were to be secured
in advance, so as to make the table really very beautiful.

Maggie, Kathleen O'Donnell, and Janet