barbara entered the nursery with rather a worried look on her face. "aunt anne is coming to-morrow, children," she announced.

"to-morrow!" exclaimed a fair-haired boy, rising from the window-seat. "oh, i say, barbe, that's really rather hard lines—in the holidays, too."

"just as we were preparing to have a really exciting time," sighed frances, who was her brother's close companion and ally.

"i know it's a little hard," barbara said consolingly, sitting down beside them and taking one of the twins on her lap, while the other leaned up against her. "but you will all try to be good and nice to her, won't you? she went away with a bad opinion of us last time, and it worries mother. besides, we mustn't forget that she was father's sister."

"i can't think how she ever came to be," sighed frances. "she's so dreadfully particular, and we always seem naughtier when she's here. but we'll make an effort, barbara."

"and you won't run away as soon as she speaks to you, lucy?" barbara went on, looking at the little girl in her lap. "it's rude, you know. you must try to talk nicely when she wants you to."

"yes;" and the child nodded. "only she does seem to make a lot of concussions when she comes."

"you mean discussions," donald corrected. "you shouldn't use words you don't understand, lucy. but i must say i agree with you; i know she always raises my corruption."

"what!" gasped barbara.

"raises my corruption," repeated her brother; "that's a good old scottish expression that i've just found in a book, and it means—'makes you angry.'"

"well, don't use it before aunt anne, there's a dear," barbara urged, getting up. "she thinks we use quite enough queer expressions as it is."

"i'll speak like a regular infant prodigy. but surely you're not going yet? you've just come!"

"i must help to get things ready for aunt anne," barbara said gaily, for she had recovered her spirits since procuring the children's promise of good behaviour. "i'll come to you later."

"barbara is really rather an angel," remarked donald after she had gone. "it's not many sisters would slave in the house, instead of having another maid, to let a fellow go to a decent school."

"you're quoting mother," frances replied, hanging out of the window in a dangerous position; "but, of course, it's true. if i only had time i'd write a fascinating romance about her."

"i'll read every page of it and buy a hundred copies," her brother promised gallantly; but, as he knew that there was nothing frances hated more than writing, he felt pretty safe. "of course," he pursued, "aunt anne thinks mother spoils us. i don't quite think that—it's just that she's so nice and sympathetic with us when we're naughty, and aunt anne doesn't understand that. but still, to please barbe, and as we've promised, we must try to be respectable and good this time. remember, twins!"

the twins were not noted for long memories, but their intentions were good, and the first day of aunt anne's visit passed very well, the children remembering to rub their feet on the mat, shut the door softly, and not fidget at meals. but the exertion seemed too much for them, and the second day began rather boisterously, and did not improve as it went on. after lunch, when the twins came into the drawing-room, lucy drew a footstool near her aunt, and sat down meekly upon it, thinking that the sooner aunt anne began to talk the sooner it would be over.

aunt anne was feeling almost as much embarrassed by the presence of so many children as they were by that of their aunt, but her sense of duty was strong, and she began to make conversation with the one nearest her—who happened to be lucy.

"what are you doing in lessons now, lucy?"

lucy looked solemn.

"chiefly history," she said.

frances laughed.

"it's only stories," she exclaimed, "that barbara tells her and dick."

"it's history," repeated lucy indignantly; "isn't it, dick? it's all about england."

"i should have thought writing was more suitable for a little girl like you."

frances opened her mouth to retort, but caught a warning glance from barbara and subsided. then conversation languished and lucy looked across longingly at her sister, to see if she had done her duty. but not being able to catch her eye, she sighed, and supposing she had not yet fulfilled her part, cast about in her mind for something else to say.

"do you live far from here?" she began suddenly, staring at her aunt.

"quite a long way," miss britton replied. "in wales—perhaps you know where that is?"

"oh, yes," exclaimed lucy, rising in her excitement. "it's where the ancient britons were sent. barbara told us about them. oh, please aunt anne, aren't you an ancient briton?"

aunt anne smiled grimly.

"no, i am not. they lived in quite the olden times, and were clothed in skins."

"but are you sure?" pressed the child. "it's just the skins seem wanting. they were driven into wales, and surely you're a briton and come from the olden times. you're really quite ancient aren't you, aunt anne?"

barbara was thankful her aunt laughed, but she was not so glad that donald and frances found their laughter so irrepressible that they had to resort to the sofa-cushions; and when the twins were dismissed a little later by mrs. britton, she was rather relieved to see them follow. but from that moment the spirit of hilarity seemed to have fallen upon all the children, and barbara looked regretfully at the falling rain and wondered how she should keep them occupied for the rest of the day—for it was just the beginning of the holidays, when they were usually allowed a good deal of liberty.

she knew by the noise that presently sounded from upstairs that they had begun "hide-and-seek," and she read disapproval of the uproar in her aunt's face, and went upstairs to suggest something else. the children good-temperedly betook themselves to "soap bubbles," frances consenting to fetch the tray "to keep things tidy" if donald would take it back; and barbara left them, congratulating herself that they were safely settled over something quiet.

it was, therefore, surely an evil fate that made aunt anne begin to go upstairs later in the afternoon, just as donald was descending rapidly with the tray—not in his hand.

"i am so sorry," he said, getting up in dismay after his rapid slide. "what a comfort i didn't knock you over; but it's so much the quickest way of bringing a tray down. i—— have you ever tried it?"

if he had not been considerably agitated he would not have asked such a foolish question, and perhaps if aunt anne had really not got a severe fright she would not have been so much annoyed. but as it was, she stalked past him without saying a word and went up to her room.

"there!" he said ruefully, "i've done it, and i really did mean to be good."

the incident subdued them all considerably, and barbara hoped that now they might get to the end of the visit without any further mishaps. but next morning at breakfast that hope was banished, for her aunt came downstairs with such an expression of annoyance upon her face, that every one knew something really unpleasant was coming.

"is anything wrong?" mrs. britton asked anxiously. "did you not sleep well—or—surely the children did not—annoy you in any way?" visions of apple-pie beds were floating before her mind, although the children's looks of innocence somewhat reassured her on that point.

"some one has annoyed me considerably," aunt anne said coldly, "by interfering with my clothes. when i came to put on my blue blouse this morning, i found that every other one of the silver buttons had been cut off."

there was a gasp of astonishment, and barbara was just about to scorn the notion that any of the children could have been concerned in the matter, when her eyes fell on dick's face. miss britton was looking in the same direction.

"i should think that little boy knows something about it," she said.

"dick!" mrs. britton exclaimed, for he was usually the least apt of the three to get into mischief.

"dick, what did you do it for? tell us why you did it?" barbara questioned eagerly, and the little boy was just about to reply when miss britton spoke again.

"i should think he had no reason at all except wanton mischief. perhaps he used the buttons for marbles; there cannot be any real reason for such a silly deed, though he may make one up. well, why did you do it?"

barbara saw the obstinate expression that they dreaded creeping over the little boy's face at her aunt's words, and knew that now they would probably get nothing satisfactory from him; but she was not quite prepared for the answer that came so defiantly.

"i did it for ornament, of course."

there was silence for a moment; then mrs. britton sent the little boy to the nursery to stay there till he was sent for.

"i am so sorry, anne," she said in distress. "i cannot think what has made him do it."

"it is just the result of your upbringing. i always said you were absurdly indulgent to the children."

then, because barbara was sure that dick had had some other reason that would perhaps have explained his action, and because she saw tears in her mother's eyes, and knew how lonely and tired she often felt, and how anxious about the welfare of the children and the care of the house, she turned wrathfully upon her aunt.

"you have no right to criticise mother like that, aunt anne, and, of course, she knows a great deal more about bringing up children than you do. if you had not interfered, dick would have given the proper reason, and, certainly, if we do what we shouldn't it's our fault, not mother's."

at this there were confirmatory nods from the children, who continued to gaze in startled, but admiring, astonishment at barbara, whose politeness was usually their example, and whom they hardly recognised in this new role. they awaited—they knew not what—from their aunt, but except for a horrified cry of "barbara!" from mrs. britton, the girl's outburst was received in silence, her aunt merely shrugging her shoulders and continuing her breakfast. the children finished theirs in uncomfortable silence, then slipped quietly away.

"well!" donald said ruefully, when frances and he had climbed into the apple-tree where they usually discussed matters of importance. "she did look fine, didn't she? but i'm afraid she's done it now. aunt will clear out soon enough, i should think, and barbe will just be as sorry as can be to have flared out like that at a guest, and father's sister too."

in that last supposition donald was quite right, for mrs. britton needed to say nothing to make barbara feel very much ashamed of herself. but in his conclusion about his aunt he was quite wrong, for, to the children's astonishment, miss britton showed no signs of speedy departure. indeed, later in the day, the children felt honesty demanded they must own her to be "rather a brick," for she accepted barbara's apology with good grace, and said that though, of course, she had been rude, she would not deny that there had been some provocation, and that if barbara could find out anything more from dick, she would be glad to hear of it.

it was then, after much manoeuvring, that the girl got to the truth of the matter, which dick related with tears. he had taken the buttons for mother, he said. when he was out with her the other day they had looked for quite a long time at some beautiful silver ones, and when he asked his mother why she did not buy them, she had said she had not enough money just then. they were very like the kind on aunt anne's blouse, and having noticed that she did not use half of them to button it up, dick had not seen any reason why they should be left on—although he had meant to tell her what he had done immediately after breakfast.

miss britton accepted the explanation, and said she thought there was no need for the culprit to be punished this time, and she hoped he would have more sense soon. but about barbara she had something of more importance to communicate.

"in my opinion," she said, in a manner that inferred she expected her advice to be taken, "the girl is much too young to have finished her education—boys or no boys—and i am thinking of sending her to france for a time, to learn more of the language and see something of the world. it is not good for a girl of her age to have so much responsibility."

now, it had been barbara's dream to go abroad, but after the first gasp of delight and astonishment she grew grave, and said she was afraid she could not leave her mother and the children.

"fiddlesticks!" aunt anne replied, without allowing mrs. britton time to speak. "you are far too young, my dear, to imagine yourself of such importance in the world. i will send a good old-fashioned nurse that i know of to take your place, and it will be good for the children to have a stricter regime than yours has been for a while."

even if aunt anne had been accustomed to have her words disregarded—which she was not—mrs. britton would not have needed much persuasion to make her fall in with the proposal, for she had often grieved in private over the fact that, since her husband's death, barbara's education had had to suffer that donald's might advance. and now, though she wondered how she would get on without her eldest daughter, she was only too thankful to have such an opportunity thrown in her way.

"i cannot think why i never interfered before," miss britton said, "but it is better late than never, and we will have as little delay now as possible."

in a few days the children were all as busy as bees helping to get barbara ready. they assisted in choosing her new frocks and hats, and the style of making; and poor miss smith, who came to sew for her, was nearly distracted by their popping in every now and then to see how she was getting on. even donald, who hated talking about "girls' fashions," bought a paper, because he saw it had a pattern of a blouse advertised, and he thought it might be useful.

the family were very curious to hear with whom she was going to france and where she was going to be, for aunt anne had undertaken to make all the arrangements, and it certainly was a slight shock to the children when she wrote to say she had made up her mind to go herself for a fortnight to paris before sending barbara off to brittany, where she had found a "most suitable place" for her in the house of two maiden ladies who took in people wanting to learn french.

donald whistled when mrs. britton read that out.

"fancy a fortnight with aunt anne, and then the two maiden ladies. jiggers!" (that was a favourite expression of his)—"you'll be worried out of your life, barbe."

the worst of it was, that aunt anne, who had not been abroad for many years, said she was going to let barbara manage the journey and the sight-seeing in paris, and sent her a guide-book to read up everything of interest. she said she was doing this to give her niece experience and prepare her for being by herself later on; but donald declared she wanted to see "what kind of stuff" she was made of, and that if barbara did not do things well, she would scoff at her greatly for thinking she could manage a house and children while she could not succeed in finding her way about france.

"but i know the old lady, and we'll just show her you're our sister, and before we've done you'll know that guide-book from cover to cover," he assured her.

they had only a week left, for aunt anne was very rapid in her decisions and plans; but they studied the guide-book morning, noon, and night. it was most instructive holiday work, donald said, and when barbara had not time to read it, frances and he read for her and poured their knowledge into her ears at meal-times.

they learned what coloured omnibus went to the different parts of paris, and on what days different buildings were open, and by the end of the week they all felt they could "personally conduct" tours all over paris.

it was rather hard when the last day came, because they knew that the house would seem horribly empty without barbara. the two little ones were on the verge of crying all the afternoon, and frances had to be very stern, while donald rose to flights of wit hitherto undreamed of, to keep up every one's spirits.

of course the two elder ones knew it would be hardest on them after barbara left, because some of her responsibility would fall on their shoulders. but they were quite determined she should have a cheerful "send-off" next morning, so they bribed the children with promises of sweets if they did not cry, and they succeeded in giving her quite a hilarious good-bye at the station.

after the train had gone, however, and they turned homewards, frances felt that if she had not promised barbara to help her mother she would have hidden herself in the attic and cried, although that would have been so "horribly babyish" for a girl of twelve that she knew she would have felt ashamed of herself afterwards; though perhaps, her pillow could have told tales of a grief confided to it that the gay-hearted frances did not usually indulge in.