e six came scrambling into the garden at once. There the eight
children played with the pigeons in the sunshine, until in an unlucky
moment Pietro's youngest baby fell into the fountain and was rescued,
screaming with fright, by Beppina, who got her own dress quite wet in
the process.

It was at this very moment, as luck would have it, that Teresina
appeared in the doorway, her ruffled cap bristling and her hands upheld
in horror at finding the children of the Marchese Grifoni playing in the
sacred palace garden with the dirty little children of the porter's
family.

"I have been looking everywhere for you," she said with freezing
dignity. "The priest will soon be here to bless the house, and you,
Signorina, are not half dressed, and besides, you are as wet as if you
had been swimming in the fountain! What would the Signora say if she
could see you now?" She glared at the six children of Pietro as she
spoke, and they instantly scuttled back into their own quarters like
mice who had seen the cat. Then she thumped majestically upstairs.

The children prepared to follow, but all the brightness had gone out of
the morning, and they went slowly and sullenly. Though Teresina had a
good heart, she had a sharp tongue, and the Twins had some reason for
not loving her. It was now six months since she had first appeared
before them, carrying a little red, wrinkled baby on a pillow, and had
told them that it was their little new sister, and that now the Signora,
their mother, would love the baby much better than she loved them, and
she had laughed when she said it! Yes, believe it or not, she had
laughed!

"Teresina is always spoiling things," said Beppo, kicking his feet
against each step as he began to climb the stairs.

"Che, che!" said Beppina, which is Italian for "tut, tut."

"After all, it is quite true that we must be ready for the priest. What
would Mammina say if she knew we were wet and dirty when he came?"

Beppo's face broke suddenly into a beaming smile. "I know what I'll
do!" he cried, and disappeared into the garden again. In a moment he
came back, carrying some water from the fountain in an old flower-pot,
and went bounding upstairs two steps at a time, slopping it all the way.
Beppina followed breathlessly, and reached the top step just in time to
see that bad boy give a vigorous pull at the bell.

There was a scrambling sound within before the door was thrown open by
Teresina, who, supposing i