day!' continued Betty.

The little girls' voices were raised in their excitement, and they did
not notice a door at the end of the room slowly open.

'What a row! Are you telling stories?'

It was Douglas, who slept in a little room off the nursery, and who had
been roused by the sound of talking.

'Hush! nurse will hear. Come and sit on my bed,' said Molly, 'and then
you will hear all about it.'

'Oh, Molly, it was to be our secret!'

'Douglas won't tell. Besides, nurse is sure to tell us; she knew we
were awake and listening.'

Betty gave a little sigh, then joined eagerly in giving her brother the
delightful information.

He listened, rumpling up his fair curls, and blinking his blue eyes,
which were already heavy with sleep.

'Easter is years off,' he said at last. 'Why, we are still in winter.
I daresay we shan't go, after all.'

'We are in February now,' said Molly, looking a little disappointed at
the calm way he received such rapturous news.

'If I go,' Douglas went on meditatively, 'I shall ask father to let me
have a gun, and I shall shoot rabbits and birds every day.'

'Then you'd be a wicked, cruel boy!' pronounced Betty indignantly. 'I
shall catch all the rabbits I can see and tame them.'

'Then I shall let them loose again,' retorted Douglas; and taking up
Molly's pillow, he flung it with all his strength at Betty, who
instantly returned it, and a pillow fight commenced. Molly joined
delightedly in the fray; but, alas! in the height of the excitement,
Betty backed into a can of water put ready for their morning bath.
Over she went, head first, on the floor, and the whole contents of the
can flooded her and the carpet together. Douglas precipitately fled
into his little room, and Molly into her bed, so that when nurse came
hastily in Betty again was discovered as chief offender. Whilst she
was being hustled into a dry nightdress nurse relieved her vexed
feelings by giving her a good scolding, and Betty eventually crept into
bed wondering if she was really the 'wickedest, mischievousest child on
earth,' or if grown-up people sometimes made mistakes.

For the next few days nothing was talked of but the proposed country
visit; but as weeks went on, and spring seemed still as far away, the
children's excitement subsided, and the ordinary routine of lessons,
walks, and play engrossed their whole attention.

But Easter came at last, and then packing-up began. Miss Grant took
her depar