"I'm sorry to hear it; but they look, if you will allow me to say so, considerably better than they did a few hours ago," said Gervase, glancing at the white shoes with an approving smile. "Why don't you sit down, if you are so tired? There is a delightful seat waiting under that tree, and no more work to do, so that I should say the sooner you take possession of it the better!" "Oh yes, yes. Let's all go!" gushed Agatha, leading the way onward, unconscious of Gervase's look of dismay. "Let's go and rest, and talk it all over! The best part of an entertainment is when the people go, and you can quiz them, and make remarks, and--" "Eat up the scraps!" concluded Kitty aptly, seizing a plate of cakes from a table as she passed, and illustrating her words with the aid of the daintiest morsel she could select. Christabel ejaculated "Kittay!" in a tone of dignified remonstrance; but the protest was for form's sake merely, for hers were the next pair of hands to rob the dish, and it was neither _one_ macaroon, nor two, which satisfied her appetite. "I really think it has been a great success," she said, munching away, and using an even greater amount of emphasis than usual in her elation of spirits. "The people behaved splendidly! Miss Shorter's behaviour I consider simply _noble_! Do you know what she did? Refused to buy anything at all, my deahs, until every one else had chosen, and then went about buying up all the old rubbish which no one would have. It would have made you _weep_ to see her collection of atrocities, and the old dear beamed away as if she were quite delighted. I call it Christian to buy straw spill-boxes and cork frames for the good of your fellow-creatures!" "But think of the ni-ice little fire they will make when the weather turns chilly!" said Jim wickedly, as he jolted Chrissie's elbow, jerked the plate out of Kitty's hand, and made a snap at Agatha's cake, held temptingly before him. He could never by any chance sit near the girls without teasing them in some such schoolboy fashion; and though they made a great show of indignation, they would in reality have been much disappointed if he had taken them at their word. In the present instance all three girls fell upon him at once, and, having reduced him to a state of submission, continued their song of jubilation. "We took five pounds at the refreshment stall alone. It would make a scandal in the parish if I divulged how many plates of strawberries the vicar ate. Mrs Bolter bought up all the macaroons. `Home-made, my dear? X-ellent! I must really beg the recipe.' Mrs Booth asked the price of everything, and sniffed, and walked away. What a woman! Mrs Raleigh seemed quite indignant because I had no eggs. `Dear me! I quite _counted_ on getting fresh eggs!' Mr Vanburgh had only one cup of tea. I don't call that helping the cause of charity!"