As the visitor divested herself of the long ermine-lined garment, 'Oh, you _are_ pretty to-night!' observed the gallant young gentleman over the way, seeming not to have heard that these effects don't appeal to little boys. Sara silently craned her neck. Even the high and mighty Mrs. Dampney, in the surreptitious way of the superior servant, without seeming to look, was covertly taking in the vision that the cloak had hitherto obscured. The little girl followed with critical eyes the movement of the tall figure, the graceful fall of the clinging black lace gown embroidered in yellow irises, the easy bend of the small waist in its jewelled belt of yellow. The growing approval in the little face culminated in an ecstatic 'Oh-h-h! let me see what's on your neck! That's new, isn't it?' 'No--very old.' 'I didn't know there were yellow diamonds,' said Sara. 'There are; but these are sapphires.' 'And the little stones round?' 'Yes, they're diamonds.' 'The hanging-down thing is _such_ a pretty shape!' 'Yes, the fleur-de-lys is a pretty shape. It's the flower of France, you know--just as the thistle is the----' 'There, now!' A penetrating whisper came from the other bed. 'She's _gone_.' 'It's you who've been keeping her here, you know.' Miss Levering bent her neat, dark head over the little girl, and the gleaming jewels swung forward. 'Yes,' said Cecil, in a tone of grandfatherly disgust; 'yelling like a wild Indian.' 'Well, you _cried_,' said his sister--'just because a feather pillow hit you.' Her eye never once left the glittering gaud. 'You see, Cecil is younger than you,' Miss Levering reminded her. 'Yes,' said Sara, with conscious superiority--'a whole year and eight months. But even when I was young _I_ had sense.' Miss Levering laughed. 'You're a horrid little Pharisee--and as wild as a young colt.' Contrary to received canons, the visitor seemed to find something reassuring in the latter reflection, for she kissed the small, self-righteous face. 'You just ought to have seen Sara this morning!' Cecil chuckled, with a generous admiration in family achievements. 'We waked up early, and Sara said, "Let's go mountaineering." So we did. All over the rocks and presserpittses.' He waved his hand comprehensively at the rugged scenery of the night-nursery. 'Of course we had to pile up the chairs and things,' his sister explained. 'And the coal scuttle.' 'And we made snow mountains out of the pillows. When the chairs wobbled, the coal and the pillows kept falling about; it was quite a real avalanche,' Sara said conversationally. 'I should think so,' agreed the guest. 'Yes; and it was glorious when Sara excaped to the top of the wardrobe.' 'To the w----' Miss Levering gasped. 'Yes. We were having the most perfectly fascinating time----' Sara took up the tale. But Cecil suddenly sat bolt upright, his little face quite pink with excitement at recollection of these Alpine exploits.