was.
'The Thorn Fortress,' said Gillian. 'It comes out of that delightful S.P.C.K. book so called, where, in the 'Thirty Years' War,' all the people of a village took refuge from the soldiers in a field in the middle of a forest guarded by a tremendous hedge of thorns. Val had it for a birthday present, and the children have been acting it ever since.'
'It has quite put out the Desert Island passion, which used to be a regular stage in these children's lives. Every voyage we have taken, somebody has come to ask whether there was any hope of being wrecked on one.'
'Fergus even asked when we crossed from Dublin,' said Gillian.
'He was put up to that, to keep up the tradition,' observed Harry.
On reaching the house, the elders proceeded to five o'clock tea in the drawing-room, the juniors to gouter in the dining-room. As Dolores entered, she beheld a row of all her five younger cousins drawn up looking at her as if se had committed high treason, and she was instantly addressed-
'Tell-take tit!' began Valetta.
'Sneak!' cried Wilfred.
'I will call her Croat!' added Fergus.
'Worse than Croat! Bashi Bazouk!' exclaimed Valetta.
'Worse than Crow!' chimed in Primrose.
'Oh, Dolores! How could you?' said Mysie.
'To get poor Willie punished!' said Val.
Dolores stood her ground. 'It was time to speak when it came to shooting arrows at me.'
'Hush! hush! Willie,' cried Mysie. 'I told you so. Now Dolores, listen. Nobody ever tells of anybody when it is only being tiresome and they don't mean it, or there never would be any peace at all. That's honour! Do you see? One may go to Gill sometimes.'
'One's a sneak if one does,' put in Wilfred; but Mysie, unheeding went on-
'And Gill can help without a fuss or going to mamma.'
'Mamma always knows,' said Val.
'Mamma knows all about everything,' said Mysie. 'I think it's nature; ad if she does not always take notice at the time, she will have it out sooner or later.' Then resuming the thread of her discourse: 'So you see, Dolly, we have made up our minds that we will forgive you this time, because you are an only child and don't know what's what, and that's some excuse. Only you mustn't go on telling tales whenever an evident happens.'
Dolores thought it was she who ought to forgive, but the force against her was overpowering, though still she hesitated. 'But if I promise not to tell,' she said, 'how do I know what may be done to me?'
'You might trust us,' cried Mysie, with flashing eyes.
'And I can tell you,' added Wilfred, 'that if you do tell, it will be ever so much the worse for you-girl that you are.'
'War to the knife! Cried Valetta, and everybody except Mysie joined in the outcry. 'War to the knife with traitors in the camp.'
Mysie managed to produce a pause, and again acted orator. 'You see, Dolores, if you did tell, it would not be possible for mamma or Gill to be always looking after you, and I couldn't do you much good-and if all these three are set against you, and are horrid to you, and I couldn't do you much good-horrid to you, you'll have no peace in your life; and, after all, we only ask of you to give and take in a good-natured sort of way, and not to be always making a fuss about everything you don't like. It is the only way, I assure you.'
Dolores saw the fates were against her, and said-
'Very well.'
'You promise?'
'Yes.'
'Then we forgive you, and here's the box of chocolate things Aunt Ada brought. We'll have a cigar all round and be friends. Smoke the pipe of peace.'
Dolores afterwards thought how grand it would have been to have replied, 'Dolores Mohun will never be intimidated;' but the fact was that her spirit did quail at the thought of the tortures which the two boys might inflict on her if Mysie abandoned her to their mercy, and she was relieved, as well as surprised to find that her offence was condoned, and she was treated as if nothing had happened.
Meantime Aunt Jane was asking in the drawing-room, 'How do you get on?'
'Fairly well,' was Lady Merrifield's answer. 'We shall work together in time.'
'What does Gill say?' asked the aunt, rather mischievously.
'Well,' said the young lady, 'I don't think we get on at all, not even poor Mysie, who works steadily on at her, gets snubbed a dozen times a day, and never seems to feel it.'
I hoped her father would have sent her to school,' said Aunt Adeline. 'I knew she would be troublesome. She has all her mother's pride.'
'The proudest people are those who have least to be proud of,' said Aunt Jane.
'School would have hardened the crust and kept up the alienation,' said Lady Merrifield.
'Perhaps not. It might teach her to value the holidays, and learn that blood is thicker than water,' said Miss Jane.
'It is always in reserve,' added Miss Adeline.
'Yes, Maurice told her to send her if I grew tired of her, as he said,' replied Lady Merrifield, 'but of course I should not think of that unless for very strong reasons.'
'Oh, mamma!' and Gillian remained with her mouth open.
'Well?' said Aunt Jane.
'I meant to have told you mamma, but Mr. Leadbitter came in about the G.F.S. and stopped me, and I have never seen you to speak to since. Yesterday you know, I stayed from evensong to look after the little ones, and you said Dolores might do as she pleased, so she stayed at home. The children were looking at the book of Bible Pictures, and it came out that Dolly knew nothing at all about Joshua and the walls of Jericho, nor Gideon and the lamps in the pitchers, nor anything else. Then, when I was surprised, she said that it was not the present system to perplex children with the myths of ancient Jewish history.'
Gillian was speaking rapidly, in the growing consciousness that her mother had rather have had this communication reserved for her private ear-and her answer was, 'Poor child!'
'Just what I should expect!' said Aunt Jane.
'Probably it was jargon half understood, and repeated in defence of her ignorance,' said Lady Merrifield. 'She is an odd mixture of defiant loyalty and self-defence.'
'What shall you do about this kind of talk?' asked her sister.
'One must hear it sooner or later,' said Harry.
'That is true,' returned his mother, 'but I suppose Fergus and Primrose did not hear or understand.'
'Oh no, mamma. I know they did not, for they were squabbling because Primrose wanted to turn over before Fergus had done with Gideon.'
'Then I don't think there is any harm done. If it comes before Mysie or Val I will talk to them, and I mean to take this poor child alone for a little while each day in the week and try to get at her.'
'There's another thing,' said Gillian. 'Is she to go down with me always to Casement Cottages on Sunday afternoons when I take the class?'
'To teach or to learn?' ironically exclaimed Aunt Jane.
'Neither,' said Gillian. 'To chatter to Constance Hacket. They both spoke to me about it yesterday before I went home, and I believe Constance has written a note to her to ask her today! Fancy, that goose told me my sweet cousin was a dear, and that we didn't appreciate her. Even Miss Hacket gave me quite a lecture on kindness and consideration to an orphan stranger.'
'Not uncalled for, perhaps,' said Aunt Jane. 'I hope you received it in an edifying manner.'
'Now, Aunt Jane! Well, I believe I said we were as kind as she would let us be, especially Mysie.'
Lady Merrifield here made the move to conduct her sisters to their rooms; Miss Mohun detained her when they had reached hers, and had left Adeline to rest on her sofa. The two, though very unlike, had still the habits of absolute confidential intimacy belonging to sisters next in age.
'Lily,' said Miss Mohun, 'Gillian spoke of a note. Did Maurice give you any directions about this child's correspondence?'
