'I never thought of that; of course that's it!' cried Vava; and then they met the other two and lunched together. 'Have some pepper?' said Eva suddenly, and produced a quaint little pepper-pot from her bag. 'Is this another piece of furniture?' demanded Stella, smiling. 'Yes, it cost a halfpenny,' said Eva. 'It looks it,' said Amy severely. 'It will have to go into the kitchen; I won't eat out of it,' declared Vava, pushing it away with pretended scorn. 'People don't eat out of pepper-pots,' remarked Eva, shaking some on to her plate. 'It's full! Did you get the pepper and all for a halfpenny?' they cried. But Eva shook the pepper steadily out till her plate was covered and the other three were sneezing. 'You seem to have colds,' she observed at last. 'Eva, you are a perfect plague with your purchases,' said Amy, laughing. 'I got it at a penny bazaar--two for a penny; here is the other,' said Eva, producing a second, and preparing to empty it. But Vava made a dart at it, and after a struggle secured it. 'No more of that, thank you,' she declared. 'You need not have excited yourself; it's empty,' said Eva. Amy pushed her chair back. 'If you have finished, Miss Wharton, I think we had better start. I know what Eva is like when she gets into one of these moods, and she is better when she is moving and her mind occupied.' As Stella had finished, she willingly agreed to set off, and they were soon in the train for Blackstead and on their way to No. 2 Heather Road. 'Oh Stella, do let's live here! It feels so fresh, and the trees are beginning to bud, and these are quite nice gardens!' cried Vava. 'We will see. The house may be damp or very small and dark, or quite unsuitable,' said Stella cautiously. But when they came to the semi-detached villa it was none of these things, but a pretty bow-windowed house, with a nice little garden in front, and there was a very pretty garden next door, where they knocked and asked for the key, which was handed to them by a maid, who said, 'The master will be round in ten minutes to see if you like the place.' 'By the way, I don't know the name of the landlord,' said Stella, as she took the key and walked off with the others. 'That's awkward. Wasn't it on the order to view?' inquired Amy. Stella laughed guiltily. 'I believe it was; but, to tell the truth, I did not look. It was very unbusiness-like of me. However, we shall know if it comes to anything.' 'But we sha'n't know what to call him,' said Eva. 'It doesn't matter. Let's go over the house--it looks lovely to me.--Oh Stella, there is a tiny lawn, and a tree in the middle, and fruit-trees round the sides, and an arbour with a little table in it. Oh we must take this house; I should love to live here!' cried Vava with enthusiasm.