'Well, Miss Linda, he's only five,' said nurse. 'It's nice for him to find something to keep him quiet sometimes. But he is rather strange this afternoon. I don't know what he's got in his head, sitting there by himself, though to be sure he's always a good bit quieter than his brothers.' 'He's such a baby for his age,' said Linda, rather contemptuously. 'When Alex was seven--that's only two years older than Denis is now--he could do all sorts of things--jump his pony and play cricket, and'---- 'I don't think you can remember much about it, Linda,' said Alex, who had overheard her. 'When I was seven you were only five, and that's three years ago, and when Lam was five he couldn't do any better than Den.' 'Because Lambert was delicate, and Denis is not a bit delicate; he's just very babyish,' said Linda, turning away, as if that settled the question. Denis looked up and opened his lips as if going to speak, but then shut them again and said nothing. 'Aren't you glad to go to Baronscourt, Den?' said gentle little Nettie, the sister who came next him in age. She was sitting beside him at the tea-table, and spoke in rather a low voice. 'Don't you remember how pretty it is there? It's only six months since we were there last. You can't have forgotten it.' 'No,' said Denis; 'I've not forgotten it.' 'Then, aren't you glad to go?' 'I'm glad to see Granny and Prince,' said Denis; but that was all Nettie could get out of him. He was always a quiet little boy, but during the next few days, if anyone had noticed him closely, it would have been seen that he was even quieter than usual. But these next few days were very busy ones, for the Christmas visit to Baronscourt had been decided on hurriedly, and the nursery arrangements were rather upset. Only once, when the children's mother had come up to see them, she noticed Denis sitting silently in a corner with a very grave look on his little face. 'Is he not well?' she asked nurse, and nurse, after a glance in the child's direction, replied 'that she did not think he was ill; he was often very quiet--it would pass off again.' 'The change to Baronscourt will brighten him up,' said his mother. And then she went on to tell nurse some of the arrangements. 'I had a letter this morning,' she said. 'The house will be very full, but they can take us all in. The girls will have the little room next to mine, and the boys will have the turret room at the end of the picture gallery.' A movement beside her made her stop and look round. Denis had left his corner and was standing beside her, listening with all his ears, and gazing up in her face with his large soft blue eyes. 'And where will nurse, and 'Liza, and baby, and me sleep,' he asked. His mother laughed. 'You won't be forgotten,' she said. 'Nurse and baby will have the old nursery, and you will have a little cot beside them, I daresay.' A look of satisfaction crept over his face. 'And 'Liza?' he asked.