y-horses talking in their stables some day, I don't believe
he'd have been startled--but seeing that Tom and I looked puzzled she
explained what she meant to us.

"It is poor children I mean," she said. "Some kind ladies have made a
nice home for poor orphan children who have no homes of their own, and
as I have not any one of my own to take care of I have a great deal of
time. So I go to see these poor children very often to help to teach
them and make them happy, and sometimes when they are ill to help to
nurse them. I like going to see them very much."

Tom looked rather pleased when he heard that Miss Goldy-hair meant poor
children. I think he was a little inclined to be jealous before he heard
that.

"But it isn't as nice as if you had children of your own in your own
house--like mother has us. It isn't as nice as if _we_ were your
children," said Tom.

Miss Goldy-hair smiled.

"No," she said, "I don't think it is."

We were in the street by this time, walking along pretty quickly, for it
was still raining a little and very cold. But we didn't mind it. Miss
Goldy-hair knew the way so well. She turned down one or two small side
streets, and then in a minute we found ourselves at Uncle Geoff's.

Walking along with her we had felt so well taken care of that we had
almost forgotten our fears of what might meet us at home. But now,
actually on the door-steps, they returned.

"Don't ring, Miss Goldy-hair, please," I said. "Let's see first if the
door is still open."

Strange to say it was! After all, though it has taken so long to tell,
not more than three-quarters of an hour had passed since we went out,
and it was a quiet time of evening. No one had happened to ring at the
bell. But as we pushed open the door, the first thing we saw was
Sarah--flying down-stairs in a terrible fright, as white as a sheet and
looking nearly out of her mind. She had missed us out of the dining-room
and had rushed up to the nursery to look for us, and not finding us
there did not know what to think.

She gave a sort of scream when she saw us.

"Oh dear! oh dear!" she cried. "Where _have_ you been? Oh, Miss Audrey,
how could you! Oh dear! you have frightened me so."

But before we said anything Tom and I ran forward with the same
question.

"Has Mrs. Partridge come in?" and oh! how thankful we were when Sarah
shook her head.

"Thank goodness, no!" she said.

Then Miss Goldy-hair came forward. She had been writing a few w