ned in her own mind that if the Doctor should
join in the laugh against them, a certain fairy prince should be turned
once more into a beast and banished for ever from her kingdom. She was
bound to admit, however, that the Doctor, so far, had not shown the
least interest in them or their story.

'But--but I quite fail to understand,' said the Canon, rather testily.
'Who was the boy you speak of, and what had you to do with him?'

'It was Bobby Hearne,' answered Jean, still staring down at his boots;
'and if you only knew how hungry they all looked when we got to the
cottage----'

She was interrupted by the Doctor, who suddenly behaved in the most
extraordinary manner. For the first time he appeared to be listening to
what they were saying, and he sprang right in front of the Canon and
grasped Jean by the shoulder.

'Do you mean to say you have been into the Hearnes' cottage?' he cried,
shaking her in his impatience until the jelly and the cranberry pie ran
some danger of following the example of the plum-pudding. 'Were you stupid
enough to go right inside?'

'Yes!' answered the triumvirate, with one voice.

The Doctor took his hand away, and turned with a shrug of his shoulders to
the Canon.

'The Hearne girl is down with scarlet fever,' he said in a suppressed tone.

CHAPTER XIII

IN 'QUORRANTEEN'

'MY DEAR DARLING DEAREST FATHER,--We are in quorranteen that's Jean
Murray and Angela Wilkins and me becos we tried to feed the poor after
the cannon's sermon and the poor had scarlet fever and now praps we
shall have scarlet fever too and in case we do we've got to stop in
quorranteen for eight days and it's an awful shame becourse it gives us
such a little time to practis for the gym prize. The cannon is Finny's
uncle and he's awfully nice though a little unreesonable Jean says and
Jean knows bekause her father is a professor and he has ofered a prize for
whoever is best at the gym display on the break up day. I mean the
cannon and not Jean's father. Quorranteen is a little house built by
itself in the garden and connected with the school by a covvered passage
that leads into the front hall because Jean says it's no use being in
quorranteen unless you're quite sure no one can catch things off you so we
are issolated. All the same we do free exercises every morning just to
keep our mussels in good order for the gym competition and I tell
them fairy stories when their's nothing else to do and Angela says