"Sunstroke?" said Mrs Aldworth, who was now seriously alarmed, "and the afternoon is so very hot. Why did you let her go out with a bad headache?" "She had to go, mother," said Nesta. "The Carters would be so offended." "Of course they would," said Molly. "She simply had to go. But for Marcia it would have been all right." "Certainly that girl does bring discord and misery into the house," said Mrs Aldworth. "But she won't long, mother; not when you manage her." "You can manage anybody, you know, mother," said Nesta. Mrs Aldworth allowed herself to smile. She mopped the tears from her eyes and sat up a little higher on her sofa. "Now, darling," she said, "draw up that blind. Marcia has made the room too dark." "Catch her doing anything right!" said Nesta. She pulled up the Venetian blind with a bang. Alas, one of the cords snapped. Immediately the rods of wood became crooked, and the light darted on to Mrs Aldworth's face. "You tiresome, clumsy child," said the mother. "Now what is to be done?" "I don't know, I'm sure. I'm very sorry," said Nesta. "I'm all thumbs--I have always said so. I suppose it's because I'm so ridiculously young." Mrs Aldworth scolded in the fretful way in which she could scold; the girls between them managed to move the sofa, and after a time peace was restored; but the room was disorderly, and the crooked blind wobbling in a most disreputable manner against the partly opened window, did not improve its appearance. "What will you do, mother?" said Nesta. "Do tell us what you will do?" "Well," said Mrs Aldworth, "I shall insist firmly on obedience." "There's no use coercing her too roughly, mother; there really isn't," said Molly. "She will simply do what she said." "You leave her to me, dears. When does her so-called duty recommence?" "To-morrow afternoon, mother, Ethel will look after you to-morrow morning," said Nesta, in some terror for fear the unwelcome task should devolve on herself. "Yes, of course, Ethel will take her turn," said Molly, then she added, glancing at Nesta, "and it will be your turn on the following afternoon." "Oh, but I cannot possibly come then, for I have promised to go for a walk with Flossie Griffiths. It has been such a looked-forward-to treat. Mother, you couldn't deprive me of the pleasure." "I tell you it will be all right by then," said Mrs Aldworth. "Now, go away, Nesta, your voice is much too loud, and remember, that after all it is a great privilege for you to have a mother to attend to when she is so devoted to you." "Yes, yes, darling; yes, yes," said Nesta. She kissed the hot cheek again and went slowly out of the room. In the passage, however, she uttered a low whoop of rejoicing at her recovered liberty, and a minute later she flew down the garden path to enjoy herself in the swing. CHAPTER FIVE. SEEKING SYMPATHY.