corner house in
Sandon Terrace."

"Craven Street. Really!" The girls were plainly shocked, but Ida
rallied bravely, and said in her most courteous air: "It must be so
_interesting_ to live in a street! So much to see. And have you _very_
interesting people living across the road?"

"No. Rather dull. Husbands and wives, and one old bachelor with a
leg--lame leg, I mean. No one at all thrilling, but our friends--our
_best_ friends--live in a terrace at right angles with ours. We have
great times with them. I'll tell you about our latest craze."

Noreen and Ida sat breathlessly listening to the history of the
telegraph, till it was time to go into the house for lunch, when Darsie
was introduced to Mrs Percival, a very smartly dressed lady, who looked
astonishingly young to be the mother of a grown-up family. After lunch
the three girls attempted tennis, but gave it up in deference to the
visitor's lack of skill, visited stables and kennels and conservatory,
and were again brought face to, face with the different points of view
existing between the town and the country dweller.

"Do all people who live in the country go and stare at their horses and
dogs every day of their lives?" demanded Darsie with an air of patient
resignation, as Noreen and Ida patted, and whistled, and rubbed the
noses of their four-footed friends, fed them with dainty morsels, and
pointed out good points in technical terms which were as Greek in the
listener's ears. "Aunt Maria goes every single day; it's a part of the
regular programme, like knitting in the afternoon and Patience at night.
I get--_so_ bored!"

The shocked looks which the Percival sisters turned upon her seemed
ludicrously out of proportion with the circumstances.

"Don't you--don't you _love_ animals?"

"Certainly--in their place. But I _cannot_ see the interest in staring
in through a stable door at the same horses standing munching in the
same stalls day after day. It's no use pretending that I can," declared
Darsie obstinately. "And the dogs make such a noise, and drag at your
clothes. I'm always thankful to get away. Let's go back to the garden
and look at the flowers. I could stare at flowers for ages. It seems
too glorious to be true to be able to pick as many roses as you like.
At home mother buys a sixpenny bunch on Saturday, and cuts the stalks
every day, and puts them into fresh water to make them last as long as
possible, and we have nasturtiums