"Oh! Yes! Yes!" cried the little Carsons, bundling the dolls back into the dolls' house, and dancing up and down with excitement, while Effie and May, equally pleased, helped Sylvia to put away the bagatelle. "Let Bab be blind man," begged Daisy. "And turn me round three times," added Bab, beginning to revolve already in delighted anticipation. Both Mrs. Lindsay and Aunt Louisa were kind enough to join in the game, and to institute several others afterwards, so that for an hour the children had a most enjoyable romp, which continued until the Carsons' nurse arrived to take Bab and Daisy home. Even Sylvia raced about when she found her elders doing the same, and grew so rosy in the effort that her mother looked at her pink cheeks with approval. "Goodbye!" called the four small visitors, when at last hats, coats, and boots had been put on, and they all hurried to start before a threatening cloud brought down the rain again. "They seem to have had a lovely time, and enjoyed themselves so much, m'm," said the nurse, gathering up the parcels of shoes and taking Daisy's hand. "Did you enjoy it, Sylvia dear?" asked Mrs. Lindsay, as they stood in the porch watching Bab's plump legs waddling along the drive in an effort to keep pace with Effie's longer strides. "No," replied Sylvia, "not nearly so much as having tea with you." "Why don't you care for your friends, sweetheart?" "Because I like being with you and Father better. That's the very whole of the reason. Anybody else is such a bother!" Mrs. Lindsay smoothed the fluffy hair, which was hanging in some disorder after an uproarious game of Fox and Goose, and bent down to kiss the little face that turned up so readily to meet her own. "My precious pet!" she murmured fondly. But Aunt Louisa shook her head. CHAPTER II An Important Decision "Gordon," said Mrs. Lindsay to her husband on the following evening, when he was enjoying his after-dinner cup of coffee in the drawing-room, and she judged him to be in a suitable mood to discuss knotty problems, "I am not at all happy about Sylvia." Mr. Lindsay paused to take an extra lump of sugar, and to help himself deliberately to some more cream. "Why, what's wrong with the child?" he asked. "I thought she was looking much as usual to-day." "She looks quite well," replied Mrs. Lindsay; "but I don't feel satisfied, all the same." "Try a fresh tonic," suggested her husband, stretching himself lazily in his chair as he spoke. "A tonic would be of absolutely no use." "Then you had better send for Dr. Fergusson to-morrow, and let him see her; it's as well to take things in time." "It's not a case for Dr. Fergusson, yet it has been distressing me for some months. Louisa was here yesterday, and she noticed it also, and spoke to me most seriously about it." "Really, Blanche, you alarm me! What's the matter with Sylvia? If Dr. Fergusson can do no good we must take her to a specialist."