s. Jackson, showing the capacities of the cupboard, and
calling attention to the superior comfort of the armchairs. "And if
there's anything else you'd like, I hope as you'll mention it. I'm a
little short in my breath, and a bit lame in my right leg, bein'
troubled with rheumatics in the winter, but I do my best to please, and
so does Polly (she's my niece), though she's a girl with no head, and
can't remember a thing for two minutes on end."

"I'm sure you'll make us comfortable," said Mrs. Stewart, "and we hope
to have a very happy time indeed at Silversands. We should be glad if
you could bring in tea now; we're both very hot and thirsty after our
long journey."

"That you will be, I'm sure, mum," returned Mrs. Jackson. "We've not had
a hotter day this summer. Little missy looks fair tired out. But there's
nought like a cup of tea to refresh one, and I'll have it up in a few
minutes; the kettle's ready and boilin'."

"The room feels rather stuffy," said Mrs. Stewart, throwing open the
window when her landlady had departed to the kitchen regions. "I'm sorry
we have no view of the sea; but we can't help that, and we must be out
of doors the whole day long. Luckily the weather is gloriously fine, and
seems likely to keep so."

"What queer ornaments, mother!" said Isobel, going slowly round the room
and examining with much curiosity two stuffed cocks, a glass bottle
containing a model of a ship with full sail and rigging, a case of
somewhat moth-eaten and dilapidated butterflies, a representation of
Windsor Castle cut out in cork, some sickly portraits of the Royal
Family in cheap German gilt frames, and a large Berlin wool-work
sampler, which, in addition to the alphabet and a verse of a hymn,
depicted birds of paradise at the top and weeping willows at the
bottom, and set forth that it was the work of Eliza Jane Horrocks, aged
ten years.

"I think we shan't need quite so many crochet antimacassars," laughed
Mrs. Stewart. "There seems to be one on every chair, and there are
actually five on the sofa. We must ask Mrs. Jackson to take some of them
away. We would rather be without all these shell baskets and photo
frames on the little table, too. If we moved it into the window it would
be very nice for painting or writing if it should happen to be a wet
day."

"I hope it won't be wet," said Isobel. "At any rate, there are some
books to read if it is," turning over a row of volumes which reposed on
the top of the c