hing's horrid."

"It will clear up very likely by the afternoon," said Miss Mervyn.

"But if it does," whined Philippa, "and if they all come, I shan't have
my musical box to show them."

"Perhaps it will come before then," said Miss Mervyn patiently, and at
that minute a small covered hamper was brought into the room.

"A parcel from Fieldside for Miss Philippa," said the servant.

"Then it's _not_ the musical box," said Philippa, who had looked up with
renewed hope.

"I wonder what it can be," said Miss Mervyn. "Something alive, I think.
Come, Philippa, let us open it."

She cut the cord as she spoke, and Philippa advanced languidly to the
table to see what the hamper contained. When the lid was lifted,
however, her expression changed to one of interest and surprise, for
there, on a bed of straw, its fur beautifully clean, and a blue ribbon
round its neck, lay the white kitten. It yawned as the light fell on
it, and looking up at the strange faces, uttered a tiny mew.

"What is that card on its neck?" said Miss Mervyn.

"`From Maisie and Dennis, with love and good wishes,'" read Philippa, in
a pleased and excited voice. For the moment the musical box had quite
gone out of her head.

"I like it best of all the presents I've had yet," she said, and just
then Mrs Trevor came into the room.

"Look, mother!" she exclaimed.

Seizing the kitten, she rushed forward and held it up to Mrs Trevor,
whose gown was trimmed with an elegant ruffle of lace down the front; in
this the kitten's sharp little claws at once entangled themselves.

"Ah, my lace!" she cried. "Take care, my love; it will scratch you.--
Miss Mervyn, pray remove the creature.--Yes, very pretty, my darling.
Who sent it to you?"

"Dennis and Maisie," said Philippa, squeezing the kitten under her arm.
"May I have it to sleep on my bed?"

"Ah no, dear," said Mrs Trevor absently, examining her torn lace with a
slight frown; "that's not the proper place for kittens. Dear me, what
sharp claws the little thing has, to be sure! I must let Briggs mend
this at once."

She went out of the room, leaving the question to be further argued
between Miss Mervyn and Philippa.

"I'm sure Dennis and Maisie don't have kittens to sleep with them," said
the former.

"Then you're just wrong," said Philippa triumphantly, "because Dennis's
dog Peter always sleeps in his room, and that's just the same."

The white kitten had now struggled out of her clutches,