ar?" asked Mrs. Tennant, coming up to her
at that moment.

Alice was standing in the dining-room devouring a book of Greek history.
She held it close to her eyes, which were rather short-sighted.

"It's from Aunt Katie O'Flynn. She has come, the darling!" said
Kathleen. "She wants me to go to London to dine with her to-night. Of
course I'll go.--- You will come with me, won't you, Alice? She says I
am to bring some one."

"No, I can't come," said Alice; "and for that matter no more can you.
It takes quite thirty-five minutes to get to Charing Cross, and then you
have to get to the Metropole. We girls are not allowed to go to London
by ourselves."

"As if that mattered."

"It matters to me, if it does not to you. Anyhow, here is a note for
you. It is from Miss Ravenscroft, our head-mistress. I rather fancy that
will decide matters."

Kathleen tore open the note which Alice had handed to her. She read the
following words:

"DEAR MISS O'HARA,--I should be glad if you would come round
to see me at six o'clock this evening. I have something of
importance to say to you."

"What can she mean?" said Kathleen. "I scarcely know Miss Ravenscroft. I
just spoke to her the first day I went to the school."

"She has asked me too. What can it be about?" said Alice.

"Then you can take a message from me; I am not going," said Kathleen.

"What?" cried Alice. "I don't think even you will dare to defy the
head-mistress. Why, my dear Kathleen, you will never get over it. This
is madness.--Mother, do speak to her."

"What is it, dear?" said Mrs. Tennant, coming forward.

Alice explained.

"And Kathleen says she won't go?"

"Of course I won't go, dear Mrs. Tennant. On the contrary, you and I
will go together to see Aunt Katie O'Flynn. She is my aunt, and I
wouldn't slight her for all the world. She'd never forgive me.--You can
tell Miss Ravenscroft, Alice, that my aunt has come to see me, and that
I have been obliged to go to town. You can manage it quite easily."

Kathleen did not wait for any further discussion, but ran out of the
room.

"I do wish, mother, you'd try and persuade her," said Alice. "I am sure,
whatever her father may be, he can't want her to come to school here to
get into endless scrapes. There is some mystery afoot, and Miss
Ravenscroft has got wind of it. I know she has, because I have heard it
from one or two of the girls."

"But what mystery? What can you mean?" said Mrs. Tennant.