ra expense!"

Sylvia glanced quickly across the room at the figure in the depths of
the arm-chair. She sat motionless, her head bent over her book, but
Pixie was one of those intensely alive little creatures who seem to
infect their very surroundings with vitality. It seemed to Sylvia that
the pages fluttered in agitated fashion, the bow of ribbon holding back
her hair seemed of a sudden to stand out at attention, the knotted ends
looked like two alert, curious ears at the back of her head.

How much had Pixie heard?

CHAPTER TWELVE.

A FAMILY COUNCIL.

That night after dinner Jack broke the news of his disappointment to the
assembled family, who bore the shock with surprising resignation. Pat
whistled, and said, "Just our luck! Ah, well, if it's no better, let's
be thankful it's no worse!" Miles suggested cheerfully, "Why don't you
chuck it and keep a shop? Then we should get all our food for nothing."
And Bridgie's sigh turned into a smile as she cried, "What a blessing
we took this house when we did! Now we should not have been able to
afford it, and we should never have known you, Sylvia dear! It's funny,
isn't it, to think that this little crib is too big for us?"

"Oh, awfully funny!" said Jack drily. He had opened the topmost drawer
in the writing-table and taken out half a dozen red-backed books and a
bundle of bills. "The fact remains that we shall have to spend at least
a hundred a year less than we calculated if we want to keep out of the
Bankruptcy Court. I don't know how it is, but I seem to have given the
money for half these bills, and yet here they are again! I was
perfectly horrified to see them. This coal bill, for instance,--I
remember distinctly giving you two sovereigns one morning just as I was
starting for town--"

Sylvia sat up hastily and fumbled for the stick by which she supported
herself about the house. It seemed to her impossible that such intimate
family affairs could be discussed before a stranger, but at the first
movement Jack inquired eagerly where she was going, and both he and
Bridgie laughed to scorn the idea of privacy. The presence of a
stranger seemed indeed to whet their interest in the forthcoming
discussion, which was conducted throughout with a cheerfulness and
composure which contrasted strangely with Miss Munns's weekly
lamentations over her tradesmen's accounts.

"'Deed, I remember quite well!" said Bridgie, referring to the money
which had bee