ld of Godfrey's hand, as he stood quite quiet,
hanging his head in the midst. She checked Betty with a gentle touch
when she would have seized hold of him, though she was wanting
dreadfully to hug him herself.

'Thank you all very much,' she said softly, to the people round her.
'I think we will go home now; come, Godfrey.' And she led him away
with Betty following. After a minute or two she said:

'Godfrey, you have given us a most terrible fright. We must be very
thankful you were not killed.'

'The other angels saw to me,' said Godfrey.

'Yes, but we mustn't look for angels to take care of us when we go into
dangerous places where we have no business to be. Why did you climb
the tree, Godfrey?'

'Because she said I couldn't,' said Godfrey stoutly.

'Do you mean your Aunt Elizabeth? It was very naughty of you to do
what she told you not. We must take you home now and leave you with
Penny because we can't trust you.'

All the time her kind heart was aching over the terribleness of having
to be severe with him on the very first day, the longing to catch him
up and kiss him and cry over him. But she kept on saying to herself,
'We must--we must, there is nobody else to do it,' and so she managed
to be firm. She took Godfrey home, talked to him tenderly and gravely,
and left him in the little room where Penny sat sewing. She felt as if
she had not said half she meant, as if she had made a thousand
mistakes, though she had tried her very best to be wise. Godfrey had
listened silently to all she said; he would think about it, Angel
hoped, and perhaps by-and-bye he would say something; she must just
wait. Then she went to find her sister. Betty had not come into the
house, and Angel, going out to look for her, heard sounds of sobbing by
the arbour. Everything Betty did was always done vehemently, and there
she was now, lying full length on the grass, with her head on
Demoiselle Jehanne's stone shoulder, crying as if her heart would break.

'Betty dear, don't lie there, the grass is damp,' said Angelica,
leaning over her. Betty left Miss Jane to throw her arms round her
sister.

'Oh, Angel,' she sobbed, 'I can't--I can't ever be it! It's no use, I
can't be a maiden aunt, I know I never shall. This first day, this
very first, he's nearly killed himself. Oh, Angel, if I shut my eyes,
I can see him with his darling neck broken, and the funeral, and Cousin
Crayshaw coming down to it and looking "I told