cknowledged that
she _had_ a friend, and that he _did_ speak of early next spring.

"Told you so!" cried Cornelia, dimpling. "Well, Mury, see here, you nip
round and wait upon me the best you know, and I'll give you an elegant
present! I wear muslins most all the time in summer, and I can't endoor
to have them mussed. You keep carrying them away and ironing them out
nice and smooth, without bothering me to tell you. See! I need lots of
attention; there's no getting away from that, but I'll make it worth
your while. You just put your mind to it, and I guess you'll make a
tip-top maid!"

Mary was at least prepared to perish in the attempt. She related the
conversation downstairs, with the natural result that each of the other
three maids registered a vow to be second to none in her attentions to
the young visitor.

The breakfast-gong rang at eight o'clock, but it was a good ten minutes
later before Cornelia came sauntering downstairs, singing an unknown
ditty at the pitch of a sweet, if somewhat nasal voice. She was dressed
in white of the most elaborate simplicity, and her shaded hair looked
even more crisply conspicuous than on the night before. The last line
of the song did not come to an end until she was half-way across the
dining-room floor, and so far from being dismayed by her aunt's stare of
disapproval, she only laughed, waved her hands, and threw an extra
flourish into the rallentando. Then she swooped down upon the stiff
figure, hugged it affectionately, and planted three kisses on the cold,
grey face; one on the lips, one on the brow, a third--deliberately--on
the tip of the nose.

"Cornelia, please! Recollect yourself, my dear! Have a little respect.
You must never do that again!" cried Miss Briskett, irritably, but the
girl showed not the faintest sign of being awed.

"It's the nose of my father, and I've just _got_ to kiss it! It's not a
mite of use promising that I won't. I've got to kiss it regularly every
morning, and every night, until he comes over to be kissed himself!" she
announced calmly, seating herself at the opposite side of the square
dining-table, and peering curiously at the various dishes. "Poppar says
you never have anything for breakfast in England but bacon and eggs, but
I don't see any here. What's under this cover?--Fish?"

"If you wait a few minutes your bacon will be brought in. It had grown
cold with waiting so long, so I sent it away to be kept hot. The
bre