This very morning the girls found themselves in their bedroom alone. Mademoiselle had, of course, to a certain extent, made them promise that they would not wear the brooches in public; but that was a very different matter from showing them to their own dear Fanchon, their sister. "Although she is a stuck-up thing," said Nina, "she is our own flesh and flood, and we'll put her to shame by showing the darlings to her, although she has not trusted us." Accordingly, as Nina sat on the edge of her bed that morning, she turned to Fanchon and said: "When will that Penelope girl arrive?" "I think she's coming to lunch," answered Fanchon. "I suppose she's a second Brenda," exclaimed Josie. "Oh, I don't think she's at all like her," answered Fanchon. "Besides, she is much, much younger." "Brenda is very old indeed," said Nina. "She's twenty-one; I can hardly imagine anybody being quite as old as that--it must be such an awful weight of years on one's head." "They say it isn't," replied Fanchon, who was becoming learned in all sorts of matters she had better have known nothing about. "Brenda says that you don't even begin to feel grown-up until you are past twenty." "I suppose you have jolly times when you're out spreeing with her at night," said Josie. "Wonderful," said Fanchon. "You wouldn't tell us anything about it, would you?" "No," said Fanchon, "it is quite, quite secret." "_I_ don't want to hear," said Nina. Then she added: "Josie and I have a secret too--a beautiful, beautiful secret that _you_ don't know anything about." "A _secret_?" said Fanchon. "What nonsense!" She thought of Joe Burbery, of the play, of the beautiful bangle. What silly children her little sisters were to talk of having secrets. "Yes, we have!" reiterated Nina; "haven't we, Josie?" "Wonderful!" said Josie, smacking her lips. "Well, tell it, you little geese," said Fanchon, "and have done with it." "Indeed we won't," said Nina, "not unless you tell us yours." "But I haven't a secret," said Fanchon. "You haven't? Oh, what awful lies you tell! I'd be ashamed if I were you!" said Nina. "Well, well--if I have--I can't tell it," said Fanchon, colouring. "You can't?" said Josephine--"not to your own, own sisters? You might-- you know." Fanchon would not for worlds betray Brenda, either as regarded her introduction of Joe Burbery, or the fact that she had taken her to a play--for dearest papa did not approve of plays. But she would have liked her sisters, in secret, in absolute secret, to behold the lovely bangle. "I can't tell my secret," she said. "I have one--just a little one--but I can't, because I have promised." "Then we can't tell you ours," said Nina. "And our secret is _lovely_! Isn't it, Joey?" "Oh, ripping!" said Joey. "It's just golloptious! Won't you be jealous, though? You'll want to wear one of them sometimes." "A thing to wear!" said Fanchon, colouring and trembling. "What sort of thing?" "That's our secret."