them. Don't look so woe-begone, childie! Nobody else is coming
to-night, and I promise you tea in the woods to-morrow."

"By ourselves?"

"Unless anyone very nice comes over to join us," put in Quenrede
quickly.

"You girls shall give the invitations. I won't bring any middle-aged
people," laughed Mother, with a sly glance at Quenrede.

The party in the bluebell woods on Saturday was entirely a family one,
with the exception of Mr. Broughten, who rode over on a motor-bicycle
ostensibly to lend some microscopic slides to Athelstane, though Ingred
suspected there was another attraction in the visit. Quenrede, who
professed great surprise, gave him a guarded welcome.

"After all the fuss you made about my manners yesterday, you might have
seemed more glad to see him," sniffed Ingred critically.

"Might I? Well, really, I think I'm going to hang a label round my neck:
'Pleased to meet you! Let 'em all come!' It would save trouble. Stick
tight to me when we're gathering bluebells. Three's better company
sometimes than two. Don't I like him? Oh yes, he's all right, but I'm
not keen on a _tete-a-tete_."

After which hint, Ingred, who had some acquaintance with the perversity
of Quenrede's feminine mind, did exactly the opposite, and, abandoning
her basket to the custody of Mr. Broughten, left him helping her sister
to gather bluebells, and took herself off with Hereward.

"He's not half bad!" she ruminated laughingly. "Not of course a fairy
prince exactly, or even a Member of Parliament, but the bubbles on the
pool by the whispering stones certainly came to 'J,' and his name is
'John,' for I asked Athelstane. There's the finger of fate about it, and
Queenie had better make up her mind."

With Ingred, however, school matters were at present much more
interesting than speculating about her sister's possible future. It was
an interesting term at the College. Cricket and tennis were in full
swing, and she took an active part in both. The best of being at the
hostel was that the boarders had the benefit of the tennis courts in the
evening, and so secured an advantage in the matter of practice over any
girls who did not possess a private court at home. So far the College
had not competed in tournaments, but Blossom Webster was hopeful that
later on in the term some champions might be chosen who would not
disgrace the Games Club. Meantime she urged everybody to practice, and
coached her favorites with the eye of an expert.