She flung open the door, jumped the long flight of steps, and vanished. She came back laughing, flushed, and vanquished, into the disapproving arms of Miss Kezia. She listened to the lecture that followed in a passion of dreary revolt. When it was finished she observed tragically, "Next time I’ll put on a _veil_!" She went upstairs to Molly and French translation. She set Sheila Pat a sum to work out. Sheila Pat sat and gazed awhile at the figures, then she slid down from her chair. "I won’t do it, Nell!" she said. She stood, a small figure at bay; a little quiver passed through her. "Very well, asthore," Nell said gently. The Atom went to the window and looked out. She came back to the table. "Give me something to do, please, Nell." Molly began, "Why, you just said—" "I’m not sayin’ it now, Molly O’Brien!" "Duckie," Nell said, "will you write me a letter? I just feel I’d like a letter." Sheila Pat got paper and ink and began:— "My dear Nell—" She wrote for a few minutes, then she said:—. "May I say I’ve no time to write any more now, Nell? I don’t want to write any more." She went down into the garden and quarrelled violently with Stewart over the rival merits of St. George and St. Patrick. In the very heart of the argument she slipped and grazed her nose on the wall. But she retrieved her position without loss of time or dignity, and went on with the argument. Nell met her later wandering aimlessly up and down the stairs, in and out the rooms. "Please don’t touch me!" she said strenuously as Nell advanced, and she ran away down to the kitchen. At luncheon she hardly ate anything; she fidgeted, was rude to Miss Kezia. Afterward she refused to go for a walk with the others. She said with forlorn dignity:— "I am tired of walkin’ between houses that squeeze you to death, thank you." To omnibuses she made much the same objection. Nell, in pity, left her alone. Later on Nell went out to buy a tube of rose-madder. She was painting desperately, in a sudden wild accession of determination to get back to Kilbrannan somehow. When she came back she found Molly deep in a book in the Stronghold. "Where’s the Atom?" "Somewhere about." Nell searched. "She isn’t." "Oh, she’s gone, then. I didn’t know she’d gone yet. The maid came from next door to ask her to go to tea with Stewart." "I’m glad." A little before six Miss Kezia came into the Stronghold. Denis whisked Jim behind him, and faced her serenely. "Molly, I wish to know if it is to you I am indebted for—these?" She held out a pair of large, flat, square-toed shoes, and pointed majestically to two frivolous-looking little bows on their toes. Molly grew scarlet. "Y-yes, Aunt Kezia! I—I—" "I thought so. I should like to know _why_ my property is never to be safe from you?" "I—I saw—I saw there _had_ been bows—and I—I made fresh ones—"