At the sound of the pitying voice the little dog gathered up his ears, then sat up and uttered a doleful howl, accompanied by agitated movements of his fore-paws. 'There's something clinging to his tail,' cried Reggie suddenly, pouncing upon him. 'Why, just look at this; it's a couple of small crabs!' 'Where can he have got them from?' asked Mrs. Stewart, looking bewildered; 'he came from upstairs.' 'Oh, it's--it's--_I_ know,' stuttered Gerald, flushing deeply. 'It's--I'll put it all right, you needn't come.' The remainder of the sentence was lost as he hurried upstairs. 'Whatever is he about?' said Marjorie; 'let's go and see.' Gerald became very red again as he was discovered in the room which he shared with Harry, collecting some small objects from the floor. You needn't have come,' he said. 'It's--it's only my collection, and they've been escaping----' 'Ha, ha!' laughed Harry; 'it's those snails and things that he has been gathering on the beach, and they've crawled all over the place!' Gerald stood, flushing to the roots of his hair, and shrinking from the mirth of the others. His treasures had been trying to make themselves at home in their new quarters. The little crabs and lobsters had scattered in search of water, and the shell-fish had crawled over the floor or attached themselves to the wall, where they waited with tilted shells for the tide that failed to come. 'Never mind, Gerald,' said Marjorie, as tears began to start in the boy's eyes; 'it's very nice making a collection, and I've got a nice pail with a lid that I'll give you to keep the things in.' 'And now,' said Mrs. Stewart, 'I see the pony cart coming up the drive, with Mrs. MacGregor in it; run and get ready, girls, or we shall be late.' After about a quarter of an hour's tidying, Marjorie was released from her mother's hands, dressed in a cream serge frock and a large hat, and with her hair brushed out and neatly arranged. Feeling unlike herself and hardly satisfied with the change, she peeped in the glass as soon as her mother's back was turned. Her own reflection caused her to start and colour with surprise. Blue eyes, bright with suppressed excitement, a wild rose face framed in short fair curls and set off by the light colours of her attire, slender hands and neat ankles--'and that's me,' said Marjorie to herself in bewilderment. Tricksy came into the room, wearing a white hanging frock with a big floppy white hat. 'Dear me,' said Marjorie to herself, taking another glance in the mirror, after the eyes of the two girls had met in silent approval of one another; 'curious that we've never thought of it before--perhaps it's because we so seldom have bothered to look in the glass--but it strikes me that we're actually a pair of very pretty girls--with our hair brushed and our faces washed!' They went downstairs without speaking, and encountered the boys in the hall.