Part 18 (1/2)

”James was the same, he hated a sofa and would always sit in a chair Not that he was so active, but he was stout, and stout people areon their backs”

Mollie coughed She had either to cough or to laugh, which, of course, would never have done

”My dear, I trust you have not caught cold,” Grannie said anxiously

”Perhaps we should close theYour Aunt Mary has a perfect craze for open s, and I soht in this rooot the least bit of cold, and I love the open ; it is so waret them sometimes--tell me about when you and Mrs

Pell were at school, please”

The two old ladies smiled at each other over their spectacles

”That was not yesterday,” Grannie repeated ”You would think very poorly of our school We had no gaym-dress, no exalobes very thoroughly, and we spoke French, so that ere not at a loss ent to Paris later on Our dancing was a people call dancing nowadays Fox-trot, indeed! And bunny-hug And rag-tihland schottische, and the quadrille, and Sir Roger de Coverley

And do you remember your famous curtsy, Esther? And how Madame made you show off on parents' day?”

”Indeed I do!” Mrs Pell answered briskly ”I believe I could do it now, this moment I have been wonderfully free of rheu the insult to her beloved fox- trot in her anxiety to see a real old-fashi+oned curtsy

Mrs Pell laid her knitting on one side, rose from her chair, and walked to the middle of the room She shook her somewhat ale that gave her a decidedly haughty expression, and stood facing Grannie and Mollie

”You ine yourselves to be our beloved Queen Victoria and our beautiful and gracious Alexandra, Princess of Wales,” she said, looking so elegant and distinguished that Mollie suddenly felt rather small and shy, while Grannie, on the other hand, drew herself up into as presumably the attitude of Her late Majesty

Mrs Pell lifted her skirts with an easy turn of her pretty hands and wrists, pointed a charan to sink slowly down Down, down, down she swept, her skirt billowing out around her, her shoulders square, her head erect--down till she all but touched the floor, and how she kept her balance was a perfect raceful curve of neck and elbows, till once more she stood erect, pleased and triumphant, a pretty pink flush on her cheeks

Grannie clapped her hands ”There, Miss Mollie! That was hoere taught to curtsy! There's nothing rese a fox about _that_!” she exclai

”It was perfectly lovely,” Mollie agreed warht kind of skirt, Grannie Did anyone ever topple over at the critical moment?”

”Not that I can rereat deal of practice, and we did th of our court curtsy Do you remember Ellen Bathurst, Daisy?” (How funny it sounded to hear Grannie called Daisy) ”And the time all the brandy-balls fell out of her pocket?

_How_ angry Madame was!”

Of course Mollie had to hear about the adventure of the brandy- balls, and fro since dead and gone, whose na, and her thoughts wandered away to the Campbells She wondered where she would find herself that afternoon, and then remembered with dismay that Aunt Mary ay and there would be no tunes

But after lunch Grannie insisted upon the sofa as usual ”You shall have your lullaby,” she said ”Mrs Pell and I are going to play duets We used to play a great deal together ere young, and no doubt ouryou to sleep; it has a base and a treble and some perfectly distinct tunes”

”Don't be sarcastic, Grannie,” Mollie laughed, as Grannie bent to kiss her ”I am sure it is beautiful music, and I like tunes les up and down the piano in no particular key and calls it 'The Scent of Lilac on a June Day'”

”Well, well,” said Grannie ”Ti to play selections from _Faust_, with variations Sleep quietly till tea- time, my dear”