The girl, whose name was Agnes, stared for a minute at Tildy. She recognized her "sort" in a moment. Tildy belonged to the lodging-house sort of girl. What she could have to do with one of Agnes's young ladies puzzled that young person considerably. It was the rule, however, at Aylmer House that no one, however poor or humble, should be treated with rudeness, and certainly a person bringing a message to one of the young ladies was entitled to respect. Agnes said, therefore, in a polite and superior tone, "Step in, will you, miss? and I will find out if Miss Howland is in." Tildy stepped into the hall, feeling, as she expressed it, "dream-like and queer all over." She did not dare to sit down, but stood on the mat, gazing with her bright, inquisitive eyes at the various things in this new world in which she found herself. "How beauteous!" she kept repeating at intervals. "Why, Laburnum Villa ain't a patch on this. How very beauteous! No wonder Miss Maggie 'ave the hair of a queen." Now, it so happened that Maggie Howland was out, and would not be back for some time. This was the day when she and the other girls belonging to her kingdom had gone forth to purchase all sorts of good things for the coming feast. Maggie, as queen, had put a whole sovereign into the bag. There would, therefore, be no stint of first-class provisions. Every sort of eatable that was not usually permitted at Aylmer House was to grace the board--jelly, meringues, frosted cake, tipsy cake, as well as chickens garnished in the most exquisite way and prepared specially by a confectioner round the corner; also different dainties in aspic jellies were to be ordered. Then flowers were to be secured in advance, so as to make the table really very beautiful. Maggie, Kathleen O'Donnell, and Janet were the people selected to arrange about the supper. Not a single thing was to be cooked in the establishment; this would give extra trouble to the servants, and was therefore not to be permitted. The girls would make their own sandwiches; and, oh, what troublesome thoughts they had over these! Maggie was in the highest spirits, and left the house with her companions--Miss Johnson, of course, in close attendance--half-an-hour before Tildy with her ominous letter appeared on the scene. Now, it so happened that Agnes knew nothing at all of the absence of the young ladies. They usually went out by a side-door which had been specially assigned to their use when the house was turned into a school. As Agnes was going upstairs, however, in order to try to find Maggie, she met Aneta coming down. "Oh miss," she said, "can you tell me if Miss Howland is in?" "No," said Aneta, "I happen to know that she is out, and I don't think she will be in for some little time." "Very well, miss; the young person will be sorry, I expect." "What young person?" asked Aneta, eager in her turn to find out why Maggie was inquired for.