Papa says it, so we must go, Miss Winter." Miss Winter glanced unutterable things at Margaret, and Ethel began to perceive she had done something wrong.

Flora was going to speak, when Margaret, trying to appear unconscious of a certain deepening colour in her own cheeks, pressed a hand on her shoulder, and whispering, "I'll see about it.

Don't say any more, please," glided out of the room.
"What's in the wind ?" said Harry.

"Are many of your reefs out there, Ethel ?" "Harry can talk nothing but sailors' language," said Flora, "and I am sure he did not learn that of Mr.Ernescliffe.You never hear slang from him." "But aren't we going to Cocksmoor ?" asked Mary, a blunt downright girl of ten.
"We shall know soon," said Ethel.

"I suppose I had better wait till after the reading to mend that horrid frock ?" "I think so, since we are so nearly collected," said Miss Winter; and Ethel, seating herself on the corner of the window-seat, with one leg doubled under her, took up a Shakespeare, holding it close to her eyes, and her brother Norman, who, in age, came between her and Flora, kneeling on one knee on the window-seat, and supporting himself with one arm against the shutter, leaned over her, reading it too, disregarding a tumultuous skirmish going on in that division of the family collectively termed "the boys," namely, Harry, Mary, and Tom, until Tom was suddenly pushed down, and tumbled over into Ethel's lap, thereby upsetting her and Norman together, and there was a general downfall, and a loud scream, "The sphynx!" "You've crushed it," cried Harry, dealing out thumps indiscriminately.
"No, here 'tis," said Mary, rushing among them, and bringing out a green sphynx caterpillar on her finger--"'tis not hurt." "Pax! Pax!" cried Norman, over all, with the voice of an authority, as he leaped up lightly and set Tom on his legs again.