"Oh, I am Maggie," said the girl. "I'll come and see your rabbits, Peterkins, in a minute; and I won't look at Jack's; but you must let me talk to your mother first." "There you are, Maggie," said Belle when the boy had disappeared; "fascinating Andrew in your usual way; and Jack will be just furious, for he's the elder, you know, and he has a temper, and you mustn't set one of them against the other--promise you won't." "Trust me," said Maggie. "Peterkins is a nice little fellow, and I'll manage Jackdaw too." "You don't mean to say you'll call them by those names?" "Yes, yes. I always have my own way with people, as you know." "Indeed I do. Oh, come along, you queer creature. Here's the darling mums. Mater dearest, here is Maggie Howland." "Delighted to see you, my dear," said Mrs. Tristram. "I hope you are not tired after your journey from town." "Not in the least, thank you, Mrs. Tristram," said Maggie, speaking in a voice of very peculiar quality; it was sweet and rich and full of many intonations. She had the power of putting a world of meaning into the most commonplace expressions. Mrs. Tristram had not seen Maggie before, and it was Mr. Tristram who had been completely bowled over by the young lady just at Christmas-time. "I bid you a hearty welcome to the rectory," said the good clergyman's wife, "and I hope you will have a pleasant time with my children." "I'll have a fascinating time," said Maggie. "I'm just too delighted to come. It was sweet of you to have me; and may I, please, give you a kiss?" "Of course you may, dear child," said Mrs. Tristram. Maggie bestowed the kiss, and immediately afterward was conducted to her room by the worshiping Belle. "I do hope you'll like it," said Belle in an almost timorous voice. "I prepared it for you myself." "Why, it's sweet," said Maggie, "and so full of the country! Oh, I say, what roses! And those carnations--Malmaisons, aren't they? I must wear a couple in this brown holland frock; they'll tone with it perfectly. What a delicious smell!" Maggie sniffed at the roses. Belle lounged on the window-seat. "Molly will be jealous," she said. "Think of my having you these few moments all to myself!" "I am delighted to come, as you know quite well," replied Maggie. "It's all right about school, isn't it, Belle?" "Yes, quite, quite right. We are to join you there in September." "It's a perfectly splendid place," said Maggie. "I will describe it to you later on." "But can it be nicer," said Belle, "than our darling school at Hanover?" "Nicer!" exclaimed Maggie. "You couldn't compare the two places. I tell you it's perfect. The girls--well, they're aristocratic; they're girls of the Upper Ten. It's the most select school. You are in luck to be admitted, I can tell you. You will learn a lot about society when you are a member of Mrs. Ward's school." "But what possible good will that do us when we are never going into it?" said Belle.