After a tap at her father's door, answered by a melodious "Good-morning, daughter!" which showed that the Rector had returned from his ministrations, Daphne proceeded to the regions above. Here upon the landing she encountered her youngest sister, who ought properly to have been dressing in the bedroom which she shared with Cilly. Instead, she was sitting resignedly outside the door upon a bundle composed of her Sabbath garments. As she was obviously posing for the excitation of sympathy, Daphne ignored her and passed into the bedroom, where the window-blind was flapping in the breeze and Cilly lay in a condition of almost total eclipse (if we except a long tawny pig-tail) under the bed-clothes. "Cilly," inquired Daphne, "what's Nicky doing outside?" "I kicked her out," replied a muffled voice. "Why?" "Well"--Cilly poked her head, tortoise-fashion, from under its covering--"she cheeked me--about"--the head retired again--"something." "Bobby Gill, I suppose," remarked Daphne calmly. Cilly's countenance reappeared, rosily flushed with healthy sleep and maiden modesty. "Yes." "Well, you must take her in again," said Daphne. "She's only playing up for a cold, sitting out there, and it will be a score for her if she can sniff the house down to-morrow." "All right," said Cilly resignedly. "I suppose I can pay her out some other way." "I wouldn't, if I were you," advised the elder sister. "She'll only wait till she gets you and Bobby together, and then say something _awful_. It's your own fault, dear. You do ask for it, you know." Cilly, whose flirtations were more numerous than discreet, sighed deeply, and rolled a pair of large and dreamy eyes upon her sister. "Daph, don't you _ever_ fall in love with men? Well--boys, if you like!" she continued, parrying an unspoken comment. "I know I do overdo it a bit; but you--well, you never do it at all. Don't you love to feel them edging up to you, and getting pink in the face, and trying to think of things to say to you, and offering to take you----" "No," said Daphne decidedly; "they bore me. Barring Dad and Mr Dawks and the boys, I have no use for males. Besides, I'm always too busy to bother with them: they waste so much of your time. Now, my child, if you want any breakfast you had better get up. I must go and see the boys." She departed, and with a passing admonition to Nicky to abandon her eleemosynary vigil and be sure to wash her neck, continued on her way, still accompanied by the faithful Dawks, to the chamber occupied by her two youngest brothers.