And when Lady Esther had been, and had had her talk with Rosy's
mother, she looked in at the schoolroom a moment in passing, and
kissed the little girls, smiling, and seeming very pleased, for she
was so kind that nothing pleased her so much as to give pleasure to
others.

"Your mother will tell you what we have been settling," she said,
nodding her head and looking very mysterious.

And that afternoon Mrs. Vincent told the children all about it. Lady
Esther was going to have a fête for the twins' birthday--a
garden-fête, for it was to be hoped by that time the weather could be
counted upon, and all the children were to have fancy dresses! That
was to be the best fun of it all. Not very grand or expensive dresses,
and nothing which would make them uncomfortable, or prevent their
running about freely. Lady Esther's idea was that the children should
be dressed in _sets_, which would look very pretty when they came
into the big hall to dance before leaving. Lady Esther had proposed
that Rosy and Bee should be dressed as the pretty French queen, Marie
Antoinette, whom no doubt you have heard of, and her sister-in-law the
good princess, Madame Elizabeth. Fixie was to be the little prince,
and Lady Esther's youngest little girl the young princess, while the
twins were to be two maids of honour. But Rosy's mother had said she
would like better for her little girls to be the maids of honour, and
the twins to be the queen and princess, which seemed quite right, as
the party was to be in their house. And so it was settled.

A few days later Lady Esther sent over sketches of the dresses she
proposed to have, and the children were greatly pleased and
interested.