to keep her from going down to
the barn.

She gave up trying to reason it out, and hoped it was all a joke, and
that Jill would come back again at the end of half an hour. But more
than half an hour passed by, and still she did not come back. Everything
suddenly grew very dull. The garden looked more deserted than usual,
and after the pony carriage had come round and taken Finny and Auntie
Anna and Egbert for a drive, there was not another sound to break the
stillness. Babs began to feel neglected; she had not once been left
alone like this, ever since she was first taken ill, and she found it
extremely depressing. If it was really necessary for the future happiness
of Jill that she should be kept in the barn all the afternoon, some
one else might have been told off to take her place in the sickroom.
Besides, as the afternoon wore on, the little invalid realised with some
sadness that unless Jill did come in, there would be no one to get her
tea ready; and she wanted her tea rather badly.

At last, to her intense relief, a thump came at the door, and Kit rushed
unceremoniously into the room.

'Where's Jill?' he demanded hurriedly.

'I wish I knew for certain, but I don't,' said Barbara, plaintively.

'Then they've done it!' exclaimed Kit, in a tragic tone, and he dropped
into a chair and looked at her.

'Done what?' inquired Babs, eagerly. Kit's behaviour was as remarkable
as every one else's to-day, so perhaps she was going to get at the truth
at last.

'Locked her up in the barn!' gasped Kit. 'They said they were going to,
yesterday, but I thought they were only rotting. I told 'em it wasn't
good enough, and I'd have nothing to do with it, so I s'pose that's why
they didn't tell me any more. And then, I forgot all about it; and after
dinner to-day I went into Finny's study to read a stunning book I'd found
there; and I didn't think of anything, till it suddenly struck me how
awfully quiet everything was. If she's disappeared, they must have done
it, stupid owls!'

'But isn't it all right?' cried Barbara, looking distressed. 'Peter said
it was to save her from an awful fate----'

'That's all very well,' returned Kit; 'but the game isn't worth it,
and that's what I told them. You see, the Doctor's coming after tea
to-day, to fetch Jill and take her over the new infirmary he's so keen
about, because Jill is nuts on nursing and all that, don't you know.
Well, Peter overheard them talking about it yesterday and