Brenda felt confused, interested, and on the whole pleased. They all entered the drawing-room, the three girls dead tired with their day and, consequently, very cross; Brenda was more or less cross also, but gratified to find there was such a fuss being made about her. Mademoiselle was cool, ugly, but nevertheless charming looking. What was there about her French dress and French manner which lifted her altogether into a different world from her dowdy English neighbours? She was in black too--black from head to foot; but her black dress fitted her like a glove and her hair was most becomingly arranged. In short, she looked finished. Mrs Simpkins looked the reverse of finished, for she had just had a scuffle with her eldest baby in which the baby had been distinctly victorious; and Miss Price was hot and untidy, cross with the weather, but, nevertheless, ready to welcome the gossip that Brenda might treat them to. "Oh, you poor childrens!" said Mademoiselle. "Miss Carlton will you not send these _petites_ to their rest--they look so _fatiguees_. They want the repose so essential to the youth. What sweet childrens! I know I shall adore them all. But go, my little ones. Mademoiselle, you permit? Yes--go at once to your needed rest." "Yes, children; do run upstairs," said Brenda. "Fanchon, you must go with the rest; we're not going out this evening." "Oh, you've said that already!" remarked Fanchon in a rude voice, "and you've let the cat out of the bag too!" she continued, a venomous expression coming into her face; for the younger girls were not supposed to know anything of the existence of Harry Jordan. "_What_ cat out of _what_ bag?" asked Mademoiselle. "I do so _adore_ cats in bags--what mean you, _mon enfant_--your words thrill me--what cat out of what bag?" "Hold your tongue, Fanchon, and go to bed!" said Brenda. "Obey your governess, my dear," said Mrs Simpkins. "You're dead tired: creep upstairs, all three of you, and don't, for the life of you, wake my Georgie, for he's that fractious--enough to madden a body." The girls had to depart, and then Miss Price went up to Mrs Dawson and whispered something in her ear, the result of which was that Mrs Dawson went to the door and called Jane. She gave her hurried directions and, by-and-by, what should appear in the little drawing-room but delicious ices which had hastily been fetched from a neighbouring confectioner's, and which Miss Price meant to pay for. Mademoiselle declared that she fairly gloated on the ices made in Angleterre; even Brenda was soothed by a really good strawberry ice, and, as there was one apiece, all the ladies congregated round and ate their dainties with deliberation. "Now tell me about the Castle, do," said Miss Price. "Is it as grand as they make out, or do they exaggerate?" "Of course they exaggerate," said Mrs Simpkins. "Folks of that kind always do."