fancy--for Maud Singleton!"

"I am fond of her," said Irene, "just because she is like yourself, so
brave. I wanted brave people. I never came across a brave person until I
met you."

"Well, now we have to think of the holidays," said Rosamund. "I have
something to tell you, Irene. You have been good--very good; but all our
goodness is worth nothing until it has been tried. Yours has not been
tried yet."

"What do you mean by that?" said Irene, in some terror, raising her
lovely, wild, bright eyes to Rosamund's face.

"Well, it hasn't, darling--has it?"

"I don't understand. I can't tell you what an effort it has been not to
collect worms and toads, and frogs and newts, and wasps and bees, and
blue-bottles and spiders. I did so adore frightening the servants,
particularly James; and there are such heaps of darling wasps this
season. I just longed to stick one down his neck; but I refrained when I
looked at you."

"You ought not even to speak of these things; they mean downright
cruelty, and aren't the least bit funny."

"Aren't they, now? Are you sure? They used to seem very funny to me--the
way James used to start at table; because I generally managed, when he
attended, to put a spider on my plate when I handed it to him. I used to
keep a little collection of them in my handkerchief, and generally
popped one on my plate; and he used always to say 'Oh!' and he would
generally drop and break the plate, which was a valuable china one, and
mother was quite annoyed."

"Well, all those things are past. We needn't talk of them any more. I
want to know what you are going to do in the holidays."

"What are you going to do, Rose?"

"I am very sorry, Irene, but I am afraid I must go away from you. I have
to visit my parents; and there is something else they want me to do.
They want me to go back to the Merrimans' school in the autumn, and stay
there for at least a term. They say that in no other way can I get over
the disgrace of having, as it were, run away from school. I don't mind a
bit having done that, for I know that you wanted me; but I think I ought
to go back to the Merrimans' for at least a term."

"Even with Lucy, odious creature?"

"Well, now, you don't know her."

"But you do; and do you like her?"

"I can't honestly say that I do."

"It is Sunday to-morrow; can't we both go to church, and then I can look
at Lucy in the distance and see what I think of her?"

"You ought not to go to church in tha