e has washed her hair in cough-mixture! Oh, oh, oh! She has mixed
paregoric and treacle with the water! Oh, what will I do! what will I
do! This child will be the death of me!" Mrs Asplin put her hand to
her side, and laughed until the tears ran down her cheeks, while
Mellicent rolled about on the floor, and Esther's quiet "He, he, he!"
filled up the intervals between the bursts of merriment.

Peggy was marched off to have her hair re-washed and rinsed, and came
back ten minutes later, proudly complacent, to seat herself in the most
comfortable stool and eat roast apple with elegant enjoyment. She was
evidently quite ready to enlarge upon her latest feat, but the sisters
had exhausted the subject during her absence, and had, moreover, a piece
of news to communicate which was of even greater interest.

"Oh, Peggy, what y'think?" cried Mellicent, running her words into each
other in breathless fashion, as her habit was when excited; "I've got
something beautiful to tell you. S'afternoon Bob got a letter from his
mother to say that they were all coming down next week to stay at the
Larches for the winter. They come almost every year, and have
shooting-parties, and come to church and sit in the big square pew,
where you can just see their heads over the side. They look so funny,
sitting in a row without their bodies. Last year there was a young lady
with them who wore a big grey hat--the loveliest hat you ever saw--with
roses under the brim, and stick-up things all glittering with jewels,
and she got married at Christmas. I saw her photograph in a magazine,
and knew her again in a moment. I used to stare at her, and once she
smiled back at me. She looked sweet when she smiled. Lady Darcy always
comes to call on mother, and she and father go there to dinner ever so
many times, and we are asked to play with Rosalind--the Honourable
Rosalind. I expect they will ask you to go too. Isn't it exciting?"

"I can bear it," said Peggy coldly. "If I try very hard, I think I can
support the strain."

The Larches, the country house of Lord Darcy, had already been pointed
out to her notice; but the information that the family was coming down
for the yearly visit was unwelcome to her, for a double reason. She
feared, in the first place, lest it should mean a separation from Bob,
who was her faithful companion, and fulfilled his promise of friendship
in a silent, undemonstrative fashion, much to her fancy. In the secon