down the
back instead of the front, because, he said, that was the fashion in
China.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER II.

REAL AND PLAY.

"And I'll be Lady Fuss-aby,
And you shall be Miss Brown."

I woke very early the next morning--for after all it had not been at all
late when I fell asleep. I woke very early, but Tom was awake before me,
for when I looked across to his bed, even before I had time to say "Tom,
are you awake?" very softly, to which if he was still feeling sleepy he
sometimes answered, "No, I'm not"--before I had even time to say that, I
saw that his bright dark eyes were wide open.

There was a night-light on the little table between our cots. Mother had
let us have it since we were ill. By rights the cot I was sleeping in
was Racey's, for I had a little room to myself, but Tom and I had been
put together because of the measles. I could not have seen Tom's face
except for the light, for it was still quite dark outside, just
beginning to get a very little morning.

"Tom," I said softly, "do you know what o'clock it is?"

"Yes," said Tom, "I think it's six. Just as I woke I heard the stair
clock striking. I only counted four, but in my sleep I'm sure there had
been two."

"Tom," I said again.

"Well," said Tom.

"Tom," I repeated. "I wish you could come into my bed or that I could
get into yours. I do so want to speak to you, and I don't like to speak
loud for fear of Pierson hearing." Pierson slept in a little room next
ours.

"Pierson's asleep," said Tom. "I heard her snoring a minute ago. We
mustn't get into each other's beds. Mother said we must promise not, for
fear of catching cold."

"I know, but it's a pity," I said. "Tom, do you know--oh, Tom, do you
know?"

"What?" said Tom.

"Something so wonderful, I don't know if I should tell you, but mother
didn't say I wasn't to. Tom, what should you say if we were to go
away--a long way away in the railway?"

"I'd say it was vrezy nice," said Tom. "If it was all of us together, of
course."

"Ah, but if it wasn't all of us--what would you say then?"

Tom stared at me.

"What do you mean, Audrey?" he said. "We always does go all away
together, if we go away at all."

"Oh yes--going to the sea-side and like that. But I mean something quite
different from that. Suppose, Tom, that you and me and Racey had to go
away somewhere by ourselves, what would you think of that?"

Tom's dark eyes stared at me more puzzledly than b