Miss Kezia was cross. She had been taken unawares. With a queer kind of heavy hospitality, she liked to know when a visitor was coming, that she might have cakes and scones of all sorts freshly baked. To-day she had not known, and there was nothing but bread and butter and half a dozen small cakes. So she sat, stiffly disapproving, and refused to unbend. Sheila Pat marched in, calm and cool, greeted Mrs. Barclay with her most pronounced accent, took her seat upon a chair, pulled down her skirt, and surveyed the room. "I have a little boy not much older than you," Mrs. Barclay began pleasantly. "Sure I’m knowin’ that already." "He wants to know you very badly." Dead silence. "I hope you will be friends—you and he." The Atom wriggled on her chair; then, "I don’t care for children much, thank you; that is," her hopeless honesty impelled her, "not some children!" Nell broke in hastily, "I have spoken to him over the wall." "So I heard. He is rather lonely. We do not seem to know any nice young people." Denis suggested, "_Used_ not to know?" She laughed. "I stand corrected. Well, I hope we shall soon know very well some very nice young people!" She rose to go. "Will you come in to-morrow afternoon? Early—about three?" "Oh, thanks—if Aunt—" Nell looked inquiringly at Miss Kezia. "I have no objection." "When will _you_ come, Miss McAlister? It is so long since you have—" "I have not much time for gadding about, thank you." "Mind," Mrs. Barclay turned back to the others, "you are all to come!" Clear and distinct spoke Sheila Pat. "’Tis engaged I’ll be, Mrs. Barclay." "What do you mean, Sheila?" demanded Miss Kezia, frowning mightily. "I shall be helping Sarah, thank you." "What maggot have you got into your head now?" "’Tisn’t a maggot at all," calmly. "I wish to do it. Sarah’s a very good girl—for London, that is—and she has too much work entirely." "Sheila, when I wish you to help in the menial work of the house, I will ask you to do so. Tell Mrs. Barclay at once that you will be very glad to accept her kind invitation." The Atom heaved a most palpable sigh. "I will come, then, thank you," she amended her aunt’s words. "Of all the rude little grumps!" Molly attacked her later on. "I don’t care! I do erject to goody-goos!" "Who is a goody-goo?" "Why, that silly little Stewart, of course." "How do you know?" "Know, is it?" scoffed the Atom. "Hasn’t he got big blue eyes and fair hair and a lame leg? Sure I know the sort!" her pig-tail jerking angrily. "And I just can’t bear them, Molly O’Brien!" "I don’t see how you can tell. Denis has blue eyes—" "Oh, _Denis_!" in a tone of strong contempt for Molly’s lack of understanding. "There are eyes and eyes!" *CHAPTER V* "Is my pig-tail quite tidy, Nell?" "There isn’t a hair out of place, Sheila Pat. Atom, do let me do your hair nicely just for once." "I prefer a pig-tail, thank you."