ve a good many friends here,' announced Betty upon the last evening
of Captain Stuart's stay; 'I think I've more friends than Molly and
Douglas have. They don't care about grown-up people: I rather like
them!'

'We like Uncle Harry,' protested Molly.

'And who do you like the best of all your friends, Betty?' asked Major
St. Clair.

'I think I like Mr. Russell. You see, he's an odd one, like I used to
be before I had Prince. Miss Fairfax used to be an odd one too, but
she's one of a couple now. Mr. Russell has got no one; he's quite
alone.'

There was great laughter at Betty's speech.

'I think I'm an odd one, Betty,' Captain Stuart said. 'What do you
advise? My making myself into a couple?'

'Two and two are so much more comfortable,' went on Betty gravely; 'I
don't really know what I should do if I hadn't Prince to go with!
Really at the bottom of my heart I love him better than anybody!
Couldn't you get a dog, if you can't get any one else, Uncle Harry?
You'd find yourself in a very nice couple then.'

How Captain Stuart laughed! And Betty was the only one who could see
no joke in the matter.

After the gentlemen had left, the children had a quiet time. Betty
would still steal away to the church to hear Nesta sing and play; and
one day all the children spent a day at Holly Grange. Nurse was
getting a little tired of the quiet country life, and began to talk
about the return to London, which filled her little charges' hearts
with dismay.

'It will be dreadful to sit up and do lessons again,' moaned Molly.

'I think,' said Douglas slowly, 'that I shall get lost the day we are
going back; and then I shall live in the wood in that little hut; I
shall be a kind of wild man; and I shall eat berries and nuts, and when
I want some meat I shall kill a rabbit, and cook him! I really cannot
stand being cooped up in that nursery at home again.'

'I've never, never been so happy in my life before,' Betty chimed in;
'but then of course I shall take Prince with me. Fancy! If we had
never come to this farm, we should never have gone to that wood, and I
should never have seen Mrs. Fairfax, and she would have never sent me
Prince!'

'It's always "Prince" with you,' Douglas said a little impatiently;
'you can talk of no one else.'

The day following the one on which this conversation was held, Farmer
Giles came into the kitchen in great perturbation about twelve o'clock.

'Where are the children?' he dema