er. School over, Miss Martineau
discovered that she had no appetite for her dinner; she left quite a
nice little repast, cooked in French style, untasted on the table, and
hurrying up to her bedroom, put on her mantle and poke bonnet and went
out. She had made up her mind to visit the Mainwarings, and to
expostulate with these headstrong and naughty girls on their daring
scheme. "Wicked, I call it," she ejaculated many times under her
breath!--"a wicked scheme, wicked, and a tempting of Providence. Oh,
my poor orphan children, I must do my utmost to prevent your having
your own perverse way in this matter!"

She arrived at Woodbine Cottage to find the neat little house already
in sad confusion. Hannah favored her with an expressive look, and a
grave shaking of her head.

"I don't know if they'll see you," she said--"they won't see you if it
is on a lecturing errand you've come, ma'am. Their minds is made up,
ma'am, and obstinate is no word for them. Dear Miss Martineau, you
means well, and you has known them most of their lives, poor darlings,
so sit you down in the hall, and I'll see if I can get them to have a
word with you."

Jasmine, however, had heard her old governess's voice, and now running
out, looking extremely untidy but very pretty, she exclaimed in her
eager tones--

"Now, you dear Miss Martineau, say you're not--do say you're not!"

"Not what, my dear?" asked the governess, who really felt quite angry
with Jasmine at this moment. "If you mean that I am not displeased--I
am displeased; and if you mean that I am not to oppose you, my dear, I
should not be doing my solemn duty, the duty which I owe to your poor
dead mother, if I did not oppose you to the very uttermost. My dear,
Mrs. Ellsworthy has told me all about your mad scheme; my poor child,
it cannot be allowed for a moment."

"Come into the drawing-room and hear what Primrose has to say,"
answered Jasmine, in quite a meek and unruffled voice. "Primrose is
very busy, for she is dusting and packing all our books and little
knick-knacks. Do you know, Miss Martineau, that just when I heard your
ring at the hall-door I came across a pincushion which you gave me
ages and ages ago. You gave it to me when I could say, _Le the est
chaud_ with a Parisian accent. It was such a pretty pincushion made
of pink silk, and dotted over with steel beads to look like pins. Just
when you were ringing the bell I had it in my hand, and I felt so soft
and loving towa