Sarah did try strawberry, and very good she found it. And then, when they had each eaten about half of their ices, May proposed that they should change about. Sarah did not find the Vanilla ice nearly so much to her liking as the strawberry one had been; but not liking to say so, as her cousin seemed to appreciate the change, she finished her portion, and said she had enjoyed herself very much. "You’ll buy us some sweets, Ma?" said May. Sarah stared aghast; it seemed to her a terrible extravagance to have had the ices, particularly after having spent so much money as her aunt must have done for the clothes that morning. And then to ask for sweets! It seemed to her that May had no conscience. And perhaps she was not very far wrong. But May, if she had no conscience, had a wonderful knack of smoothing the path of daily life for herself. Mrs. Stubbs demurred decidedly to buying sweets; but May gave a good reason for her demand. "Oh, Ma, dear, do! Flossie ’ll be as cross as two sticks at Sarah being out with you instead of her. And she’s sure to ask if we had ices, and, you know we can’t either of us tell a story about it--at least, I can’t, and I don’t think Sarah’s at all the story-telling sort--are you, Sarah?" "Oh no, indeed, Auntie, I’ll never tell you a story," Sarah protested. "And Flossie will go on anyhow, and taunt her; I know she will. She and Tom were at it last night--calling her Princess Sarah--her Royal Highness Princess Sarah," May went on--"didn’t they, Sarah?" "Never mind," said Sarah, trying to make light of it. "But what did they call her that for?" Mrs. Stubbs asked, listening in a way that was rare with her to a bit of tittle-tattle from the schoolroom. "Well, Ma, dear, you know what Tom is. He doesn’t mean to be rough or rude, but he’s just a boy home for the holidays; and after she’s had the little ones all day, and perhaps not me to talk to at all, Tom does get a bit too much for Miss Clark’s nerves. And last night Tom was just a bit more boisterous than usual, and poor Miss Clark didn’t feel very well, and it tried her, you know. And Sarah was sitting by me, and very quiet, and Miss Clark happened to say she behaved like a princess--and so she did. And Tom took it up--Princess Sarah, of Nowhere; her Royal Highness Princess Sarah, of Nowhere, and such-like. I don’t think Tom meant to be unkind, but it wasn’t very nice for Sarah, being strange to us all; and then Flossie took it up, and Johnnie, but Miss Clark told Johnnie he should go to bed if he said it again, so he soon shut up."