"She wants to see you, and say she's sorry," she explained, and when Sylvia exhausted herself in expressions of gratitude and delight, "Oh, Esmeralda would give you her skin if it would fit ye!" she said coolly. "She's the kindest of us all when she isn't cross. Give her her way, and you may have all the rest. I've known her raise the roof on us, and appealing to every relation we owned, to get what she wanted, and then wrap it up in brown paper that very day, and post it back where it came. I'm glad ye like it so much. Now if I'd been clever, and bought some more paints when those people wanted me, maybe I could have done it for you meself." Her face grew suddenly grave and wistful. "When I got my telegram at school, the girls all brought me home presents from the walk--pencil-boxes, and jujubes, and a little toy rabbit that wagged its head. I don't know how it was, but they soothed my feelings! I should have liked to buy you something, Sylvia, but I don't get my wages till the end of the month, and then they are spent. You'll excuse me, won't you, me dear, for you know I am sorry!" "My darling girl, I don't want presents! Come to see me as often as you can, and go on being fond of me--that's all I want," cried Sylvia warmly, and Pixie brightened once more. "There's no credit in that. It isn't as if you were nasty. I'll not be able to call on ye as often as I'd like, for I'm off to the seaside. Mrs Wallace has taken a house on the Thames, and her cousin is coming home from the wars and a friend with him, and lots of ladies and gentlemen all staying in the house to be entertained, so they want me to go too. Of course!" "Of course," repeated Sylvia gravely. There was something so charming in Pixie's simple assumption that everyone desired her company, that she would not for the world have tried to destroy it. "I hope you will enjoy yourself very much, dear, and come back with some colour in your cheeks, though I am afraid that particular part of the `seaside' is not very bracing. Tell Mrs Hilliard with my love that I shall be charmed to see her this afternoon!" CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN. ESMERALDA'S VISIT. Miss Munns was greatly excited to hear of the expected visit, and busied herself taking the holland covers off the drawing-room chairs, and displaying the best antimacassars in the most advantageous position. Sylvia longed to introduce a little disorder into the painful severity of the room, but it would have distressed her aunt if she had moved a chair out of the straight, or confiscated one of the books which were ranged at equal distances round the rosewood table, and, as it was one of her resolves not to interfere with domestic arrangements, she shrugged her shoulders resignedly, and hoped that Esmeralda might be as unnoticing of her surroundings as were her brothers and sisters.