, they were intensely annoying. Verena was the most patient of
the nine. She said to her sisters:

"We have never had any discipline. I was reading the other day in one of
mother's books that discipline is good. It is the same thing as when you
prune the fruit trees. Don't you remember the time when John got a very
good gardener from Southampton to come and look over our trees? The
gardener said, 'These trees have all run to wood; you must prune them.'
And he showed John how, and we watched him. Don't you remember, girls?"

"Oh, don't I!" said Pauline. "And he cut away a lot of the little apples,
and hundreds of tiny pears, and a lot of lovely branches; and I began to
cry, and I told him he was a horrid, horrid man, and that I hated him."

"And what did he answer?"

"Oh, he got ruder than ever! He said, 'If I was your pa I'd do a little
pruning on you.' Oh, wasn't I angry!"

Verena laughed.

"But think a little more," she said. "Don't you remember the following
year how splendid the pears were? And we had such heaps of apples; and
the gooseberries and raspberries were equally fine. We didn't hate the
man when we were eating our delicious fruit."

Pauline made a slight grimace.

"Look here, Renny," she said suddenly; "for goodness' sake don't begin to
point morals. It's bad enough to have an old aunt here without your
turning into a mentor. We all know what you want to say, but please don't
say it. Haven't we been scolded and directed and ordered about all day
long? We don't want you to do it, too."

"Very well, I won't," said Verena.

"Hullo!" suddenly cried Briar; "if this isn't Nancy King! Oh, welcome,
Nancy--welcome! We are glad to see you."

Nancy King was a spirited and bright-looking girl who lived about a mile
away. Her father had a large farm which was known as The Hollies. He had
held this land for many years, and was supposed to be in flourishing
circumstances. Nancy was his only child. She had been sent to a
fashionable school at Brighton, and considered herself quite a young
lady. She came whenever she liked to The Dales, and the girls often met
her in the Forest, and enjoyed her society vastly. Now in the most
fashionable London attire, Nancy sailed across the lawn, calling out as
she did so:

"Hullo, you nine! You look like the Muses. What's up now? I have heard
most wonderful, astounding whispers."

"Oh, Nancy, we're all so glad to see you!" said Briar. She left her seat,
ran up to the gir