"Are you boys not going to say good morning?" asked Elizabeth, as she put on Buff's school-bag. "Don't you know that when gentlefolk meet courtesies are exchanged?" The three boys looked at each other and murmured a greeting in a shame-faced way. "Can you say your lessons to-day, Thomas?" Elizabeth asked, buttoning the while Buff's overcoat. "No," said Thomas, "but Billy can say his." "This is singing-day," said Billy brightly. Billy was round and fat and beaming. Thomas was fat too, but inclined to be pensive. Buff was thin and seemed all one colour--eyes, hair, and complexion. Thomas and Billy were pretty children: Buff was plain. "Uch!" said Thomas. "I thought you liked singing-day," said Elizabeth. "We did," said Buff, "but last day they asked me and Thomas to stop singing cos we were putting the others off the tune." "Oh!" said Elizabeth, trying not to smile. "Well, it's time you were off. Here's your Edinburgh rock." She gave each of them half a stick of rock, which they stuck in their mouths cigar-wise. "Be sure and come straight home," said Elizabeth to Buff. "You'd better not come to tea with us to-day, Buff," said Thomas. "Mamma said yesterday it was about time we had a rest." "I wasn't coming," said the outraged Buff. Elizabeth put an arm round him as she spoke to Thomas. "Mamma has quite enough with her own, Thomas. I expect when Buff joins you you worry her dreadfully. I think you and Billy had better come to tea here to-day, and after you have finished your lessons we'll play at 'Yellow Dog Dingo.'" "Hurray!" said Billy. "And when we've finished 'Yellow Dog Dingo,'" said Buff, "will you play at 'Giantess'?" "Well--for half an hour, perhaps," said Elizabeth. "Now run off, or I'll be Giantess this minute and eat you all up." They moved towards the door; then Thomas stopped and observed dreamily: "I dreamt last night that Satan and his wife and baby were chasing me." "Oh, Thomas!" said Elizabeth. She watched the three little figures in their bunchy little overcoats, with their arms round each other's necks, stumble out of the gate, then she shut the front-door and went into her father's study. Mr. Seton was standing in what, to him, was a very characteristic attitude. One foot was on a chair, his left hand was in his pocket, while in his right he held a smallish green volume. A delighted smile was on his face as Elizabeth entered. "Aha, Father! Caught you that time." Mr. Seton put the book back on the shelf. "My dear girl, I was only glancing at something that----" "Only a refreshing glance at Scott before you begin your sermon, Father dear, and 'what for no'? Oh! while I remember--the Sabbath-school social comes off on the ninth: you are to take the chair, and I'm to sing. I shall print it in big letters on this card and stick it on the mantelpiece, then we're bound to remember it." Mr. Seton was already at his writing-table.