"Yes," answered Bess, "for when I saw Hals I said, 'Nothing but old, old clothes--clothes that will nearly want gum to stick them on, and that won't mind any mud.'" "Did you enjoy yourself at Hals' birthday?" I asked, for on that eventful day I was away. "I should think I did, mamsie," and Bess's eyes glistened at the recollection. "There was no conjurer, but the dearest little white dog in the world, that did tricks, and he knew more tricks than a pig at a fair, Nana said; and after that Cousin Alice, Miss Jordan, read us some stories and poetry. First of all, she sang us such nice old songs about 'Mary, Mary, quite contrary,' 'Little Boy Blue,' and 'I saw Three Ships come Sailing,' and then she went on reading poetry. She read us the 'Ancient Mariner,' and 'Sister Helen,' and I sat on her knee; but Hals wouldn't sit on his mother's, because he said people were looking, and boys had better sit on their own chairs. And 'Sister Helen' was quite real, and made me feel creepy, creepy. It was all about two sisters--they hated some one, and made an image, and they dug pins into it, and then they repeated bad words, and the person for whom it was meant got iller and iller and died; and Hals and me we liked it." So, chattering all the way, Bess and I regained the house. "Will there be cake--my favourite cake?" inquired Bess, "the one that Hals likes best of all, with apricot jam and chocolate on the top?" "Yes," I answered, "and Auguste has promised to make it himself. But only one helping. You must try and be wise, little girl." "I must try," said Bess, but not very hopefully. Half an hour later and Hals arrived, without Fräulein Schliemann. We all felt relieved; the two children embraced hurriedly, as if life was all too short to get in all the fun of an afternoon spent in each other's company; and then Bess said, "You can go now," sharply to the little maid who had brought him over. "We don't want to be unkind, but we want to be quite, quite alone, please;" then, thinking that she had not been quite courteous, Bess ran impetuously out of the room. "Poor thing!" she explained to me a minute after, "she must read, because she cannot play; she cannot help it;" and Bess gave Jane a story-book. "You will find that very amusing," I heard her say through the open door. "It is all about a naughty girl, but she couldn't help being naughty, 'cause it was her nature." Then Jane went up to the nursery, and a minute later Bess and Harry bounced off together. Before leaving me she whispered something into his ear. An hour later and Fremantle rang the bell for tea. [Sidenote: A GREAT, GREAT SECRET] After a few moments of waiting Bess and Hals reappeared. They whispered loudly, but I pretended not to hear what they said, for Bess told me with flashing eyes that they had a great, great secret. "The greatest secret, Mum Mum, that we ever had in our lives."