and presently the girls reached what looked like a long, low 'cottage
residence,' but was really two, with a verandah along the front, and a
garden divided in the middle by a paling covered with canary
nasturtium shrubs. The verandah on one side was hung with a rich
purple pall of the dark clematis, on the other by a Gloire de Dijon
rose. There were bright flower beds, and the dormer windows over the
verandah looked like smiling eyes under their deep brows of creeper-
trimmed verge-board. What London-bred Dolores saw was a sight that
shocked her--a lady standing unbonnetted just beyond the verandah,
talking to a girl whose black hat and jacket looked what Mysie called
'very G.F.S.-y.'

The lady did not turn out to be young or beautiful. She was near
middle age, and looked as if she were far too busy to be ever plump;
she had a very considerable amount of nose and rather thin, dark hair,
done in a fashion which, like that of her navy blue linen dress, looked
perfectly antiquated to Dolores. As she saw the two girls at the gate
she came down the path eagerly to welcome them.

'Ah! my dear Mysie! so kind of your dear mother! I thought I should
hear from her.' And as she kissed Mysie, she added, 'And this is the
new cousin. My dear, I am glad to see you here.'

Dolores thought her own dignified manner had kept off a kiss, not
knowing that Miss Hacket was far too ladylike to be over-familiar, and
that there was no need to put on such a forbidding look.

Mysie gave her message and note, but Miss Hacket could not give the
verbal answer at once till she had consulted her sister. She was not
sure whether Constance had not made an engagement to play lawn-tennis,