Nearly every one of them had some special grievance against Aunt Kate. "Let's make her sign a Charta," Tommy said, "like they did with John." The idea became immensely popular. "She won't sign it," said Bugsey, the pessimist. "Let her dare to not," said Jimmy gravely, "and she shall know that the people are the king." Pearl said that it would do no harm to draw up the paper anyway, so a large sheet of brown paper was found, and Pearl spread it on the floor. Mrs. Watson and Aunt Kate had gone downtown, so every person felt at liberty to speak freely. Pearl wasn't sure of the heading and so wrote: Mrs. Kate Shenstone Please take notice of these things, and remember them to do them, and much good will follow here and hereafter. She read it over to the others, and everybody was well pleased with it. After receiving suggestions from all, the following by-laws were recommended to govern the conduct of Aunt Kate in future: 1. Keep your nerves strung. 2. Don't screech at every little noise. It don't help none. 3. Don't make nobody wash when they are already done so. 4. Sleep at night, snore all you want to, we don't stay awake to listen to you. 5. Don't bust yourself to think of things for us to do. We kep the wood-box full long before we ever saw you, also waterpail and other errings. 6. Don't make remarks on freckles. We have them, and don't care, freckles is honourable. (This was Jimmy's contribution.) 7. Don't always say you won't live long, we don't mind, only Mrs. Jane Watson is picking it up now from you. We don't like it, it ain't cheerful. 8. Don't interfere about bedtime. We don't with you. 9. Don't tell about children raised in idleness that turned out bad. It ain't cheerful, and besides we're not. Just then the cry was raised that she was coming, and the Magna Charta was hastily folded up, without receiving the signatures. Aunt Kate, who was very observant, suspected at once that the children had been "up to something." "What have you youngsters been up to now, while we were away?" she demanded. There was a thick silence. Mrs. Watson asked the children to answer their Auntie. Mary it was who braved the storm. "We've been drawing up a list of things for you," she said steadily. Aunt Kate had seen signs of rebellion, and had got to the place where she was not surprised at anything they did. "Give it here," she said. "Wait till it's signed," Pearl said. "It's Charta, Aunt Kate," she went on, "like 'King John to sign." "I didn't hear about it. Pearl explained. "Let me see it, anyway." Pearl gave her the document, and she retired to her room with it to look it over. "Say, Pearl," said Jimmy, "go in there and get out my catapult, will you? She may sign it and then cutup rough."