Mr. Ware soon secured his papers, and one or two letters, and being anxious to convey one home to his nephew, he took leave of them where the road separated. "Now then," said Mabel, when they had parted from him, "let us see which will get home first, for mamma will be glad to get this letter from aunt Villars." Amy reached home first, but Mabel quickly followed her to the drawing-room. "Here, mamma, is a letter from aunt Villars," said Mabel, echoed by Amy. "From Caroline," said Mrs. Lesly, "I do not think it can be from Caroline, for there is no Bath post-mark, it comes from Cheltenham." "Do open it mamma, and see if they are at Cheltenham," said Mabel. "Fetch me my glasses then," returned her mother, "stay--here they are, but you must not hurry me, or my head will begin to ache again, it has been very bad all the morning." "Oh, yes, mamma, there is plenty of time; come, Amy dear, and take your bonnet off." Mabel had taken up her work before she again ventured to ask any questions. At length she said-- "Is aunt Villars at Cheltenham, mamma?" "Yes, my dear, but only for a week or ten days." "Will she come and see us now she is so near?" she enquired. "I will read what she says about that, my dear," said Mrs. Lesly, taking up the letter, (some part of the aunt's communications being always mysteriously reserved). Here it is:-- "I cannot leave Gloucestershire without coming to see you, dear Annie, and your sweet children, and therefore, if you say nothing to the contrary, I will drive over some how on Monday, and remain till Tuesday. If not asking too much of my dear sister, I shall leave Lucy with you; she is not quite well, and a run in the country will do her good, after the heat of Bath. My little girl finds pleasure in anything, and I promise you she shall be very good if you will let her come to you." "Oh, how nice, mamma," cried Amy. "Very nice that your aunt is coming, I allow," said Mrs. Lesly, "but I do not know what to say to Lucy, all little girls are not so good as my Amy." "It would be unkind to refuse her," said Mabel. "And if she is not well, poor child," added her mother. "I quite forget how old Lucy is, she cannot be so very little after all." "But," said Amy, "aunt calls her, her little girl, and says she will be very good; if she were grown up like Mabel, of course she would not be naughty." "I do not know that," said Mrs. Lesly, with a smile, "grown up people are often as naughty as little ones; so either way she was right to promise. Well, we must have the spare room opened, it must be quite damp, I fear, after being shut up so long." "Oh, no, mamma," said Mabel, "I open the windows every morning, myself, so that I am sure the room is well aired." "There must be a fire there, however, I suppose," replied her mother, trying to exert herself to think. "Yes, Betsy shall light a fire there to-day, and I will see that the room is comfortable."