"Yes; but I want to look at it again; I'm going to do the gallery another day, and on that occasion I think I shall ask Cicely to accompany me." "Why, what do you mean? Don't you like our sweet little Merry?" "Like her? I quite love her," said Maggie; "but the fact is, girls, I did my duty by her this morning, and now I want to do my duty by Cicely." "Oh Mags, you are so mysterious!" said Molly; "but come upstairs and take off your hat, for the gong will sound for lunch in a moment." Maggie went upstairs, Molly and Isabel following her. "Come into my room, girls," she said. Then she added, dropping her voice, "I think those bracelets are pretty secure." Molly colored. Isabel looked down. "You will never succeed," said Molly. Then Isabel said, "Even if you do, I don't think we ought, perhaps, to--to take them, for it would seem as though they were a sort of--sort of--bribe." "Oh, you old goose!" said Maggie, kissing her. "How could they be a bribe when I don't ask you to do anything at all? But now, listen. We were tired when we got to the gallery; therefore that sweet little Merry of yours ordered fruit and milk and cake, and we ate and talked." "What did you talk about?" "School, dear." "What was the good of your talking about school to Merry when she can't go?" "Can't go?" said Maggie. "Why, she is going; only, it was my bounden duty to make her want to go. Well, I succeeded in doing that this morning. There's the gong, and, notwithstanding my lunch, I am quite hungry." "Well, Andrew and Jack are perfectly mad to see you; you'll have to devote a bit of your time to them. Dear me, Mags!" said Molly, "it must be tiresome to be a sort of universal favorite, as you are." "Tiresome!" said Maggie, glancing round with her queer, expressive eyes, "when I love it like anything? Let's get up a sort of play between ourselves this afternoon, and let the boys join in; and, oh! couldn't we--don't you think we might--get your two friends Cicely and Merry to join us, just for an impromptu thing that we could act beautifully in the hay-field? Wouldn't their father consent?" "Why, of course he would. I'll run round the minute lunch is over and get them," said Isabel. "You are a girl for planning things, Mags! It'll be quite glorious." "We might have tea in the hay-field too," continued Maggie. "I am sure Peterkins and Jackdaw will help us." "Capital! capital! and we'll get David"--David was the gardener's boy--"to pick lots of fruit for the occasion." CHAPTER VI. FORBIDDEN FRUIT. Meanwhile a little girl stood all alone on one of the terrace walks at Meredith Manor. Mrs. Cardew and Cicely would not arrive until rather late for lunch, and Merry and her father were to partake of it alone. Merry paced up and down very slowly. What a lovely day it was, and how beautiful the place looked with its long lines of stately trees, and its background of woods, and its terraces of bright flowers and green, green grass!