," said Kate again.

"Oh, leave that to me, I'll manage it," said Marion. "We must both get
out somehow, but it won't do to tell Mrs. Maple where we are going."

"The old lady would have a fit, I suppose?" said William, speaking with
his mouth full of cake.

"Oh, ten fits all at once!" laughed Marion. "We must take care she
doesn't find out where we have been."

While William was amusing himself by eating sponge cakes and tarts,
Marion sat down at the desk and began writing a letter. "You must wait
for this," she said; "I want you to take it to the post-office close to
our home, and post it there. You see I am writing it to myself, asking
myself and Kate to go home for a few hours to keep father's birthday
to-morrow evening. I shall show it to Mrs. Maple, of course, and
she'll grumble a bit at first, I daresay, but she'll let us go, I know."

"All right. She isn't half a bad sort, is she?" said the young man.

"No, that she isn't, and I hate to deceive her," said Kate, warmly.

"Well, she'll be none the worse for it, you goose," said Marion,
laughing.

"I--I don't think I'll go," said Kate.

"There, take the letter, I'll manage her," said Marion, impatiently, as
William was about to expostulate. "She'll come fast enough, I tell
you."

"All right. I'll come in to-morrow to arrange about meeting, for we
must go together. Mind, you must go, Kate," added the young man, as he
slipped the letter into his pocket.

"Now, Kate, don't let us have any fuss with you about this," said her
cousin, as the shop door closed and they were left to themselves.

"I don't want any fuss, but I don't want to go to the theatre."

"Well, stay at home, then; I'm not going to persuade you," said Marion,
crossly, and then some more customers came in, and there was no
opportunity of renewing the discussion for some time, and Marion did
not refer to the matter again that evening.

The letter Marion had written reached them by the last post that night,
and after she had gone through the form of reading it she took it at
once to Mrs. Maple. "Will you read this, ma'am? They want us to go
home for the evening to-morrow, if you can spare us."

"What, both of you?" said Mrs. Maple, taking the letter and putting on
her spectacles as she spoke.

"Your sister writes very much like you, Marion," remarked the old lady,
as she looked at the envelope again; not that she doubted Marion or
suspected she would even attempt to deceive he