told you; for, to tell the
truth, the Canon's sermon was rather meant for grown-up thinking, and
perhaps that is why you misunderstood it. But children's thinking is
worth just as much in its own way; don't forget that, little girls.'

She jumped up and kissed them all round, then glanced hastily at her
watch. 'It strikes me,' she said gravely, 'that if somebody looks out of
the window in five minutes' time, somebody will see something in the
garden.'

She was just going out of the room, when an exclamation from Barbara
called her back. 'Why,' she said, 'you haven't told us about Angela's
scarlet fever yet!'

'No more I have,' said the head-mistress, and she took the thermometer to
the window and examined it. Angela tried rather feebly to recover her
resigned expression, which she had completely dropped in the last few
minutes; and her school-fellows exchanged a look of apprehension.

'Poor Angela!' said Miss Finlayson, pensively, as she dipped the
thermometer into a glass of water.

Angela put her hand to her head, and the other two closed round her
sympathetically.

'I am truly sorry for you,' continued Miss Finlayson, returning the
thermometer to her pocket and sighing deeply.

The triumvirate gazed at her in a scared fashion.

'Is she--is she going to have scarlet fever, _really_?' asked Barbara,
anxiously.

Miss Finlayson walked slowly across the room, shaking her head. She turned
when she reached the door, and her eyes twinkled. 'I am afraid not,'
she said, and they heard her laughing to herself as she ran downstairs.

The triumvirate had very little time to congratulate Angela on her escape
before their attention was caught by a loud 'Coo-ey!' from the garden
below. Certainly 'quorranteen' was full of diversions this afternoon.

'Kit! Kit! That's Kit!' shouted Babs, and a series of flying leaps took
her across to the window. In another minute the sash was flung wide, and
she was leaning out as far as the laws of balance allowed her. She was
right about the 'Coo-ey!' for there on the lawn below stood her favourite
brother, and by his side stood Jill and Auntie Anna.

'Well, well,' said the old lady, leaning on her blue-knobbed cane and
looking more like a witch than ever, 'and what is the meaning of this, I
should like to know? A fine lot of trouble you're giving people with your
tricks, you young monkey!'

'Oh, it's all right,' Babs assured her; 'we've made it up with Finny, and
she's not a bit cr