To the trained eye the "high-water marks" around faces and wrists were rather more apparent and speaking than their interest in their books.

Their heads, too, were strikingly wet and smooth around their brows, but conspicuously tangled and unkempt-looking at the back.
However, on the whole they appeared well-behaved and orderly, and the expression of welcome their faces assumed as soon as their aunt was heard approaching was striking, if a little overdone.

It was unfortunate, though, that they and Emily had forgotten to remove their dirty shoes from the hall, or to light the gas, for Aunt Pike, groping her way downstairs in the dark, stumbled over the lot of them--stumbled, staggered, and fell! And of all unyielding things in the world to fall against, the corner of a tin box is perhaps the worst.
The expression of welcome died out of the four faces, their cheeks grew white; Kitty flew to the rescue.
"I'm jolly glad it isn't my luggage," murmured Dan, preparing to follow.
"She shouldn't have left it there," said Betty primly.
"I expect it's our shoes she's felled over," whispered Tony in a scared voice.

"I jumped over them when I came down, but I don't 'spect Aunt Pike could." Dan and Betty looked at each other with guilty, desperate eyes.
"Well, you left yours first," said Betty, anxious to shift all blame, "and you ran upstairs first, and--and we did as you did, of course." "Oh, of course," snapped Dan crossly, "you always do as I do, don't you?
Now go out and tell Aunt Pike that, and suck up to her.

If she's going to live here, it's best to be first favourite." At which unusual outburst on the part of her big brother Betty was so overcome that she collapsed on to her chair again, and had to clench her hands tightly and wink hard to disperse the mist which clouded her eyes and threatened to turn to rain.
But a moment later the entrance of Aunt Pike helped her to recover herself--Aunt Pike, with a white face and an expression on it which said plainly that her mind was made up and nothing would unmake it.
Betty and Tony stepped forward to meet her.
"How do you do, Elizabeth ?--How do you do, Anthony?
I should have gone to your bedrooms to see you, thinking naturally that you two, at least, would be in bed, but I was told you were still racing the country.
Anna goes to bed at seven-thirty, and she is a year older than you," looking at Betty very severely.
"Is Anna here too ?" asked Kitty, saying anything that came into her head by way of making a diversion.
"No, she is not.