house. What had Aunt Louise meant by saying that it would have been past the children's bedtime, if she had brought them with her to meet us? That really worried me, but I could not mention it to Babs. I did try to whisper about it to her, thinking in the back seat Aunt would not notice or hear, but she at once said reprimandingly, "I do not like children whispering to one another in the presence of an adult!"

Aunt Louise's home was a large detached two story house at the end of Main Street, set in its own front and back garden. But it seemed from the first look to be a rather gloomy house, for the windows were hung with heavy red velvet curtains, hardly letting in any light. One upstairs window had parallel bars closely together half way up. (The reader should know that the windows or bedroom windows of little children in the Victorian and Edwardian eras had such iron bars set in the stone work to protect the children from falling out of them.)

nursery

Aunt Louise told us to run straight into the house and not gawk around. She said that Martha, the one servant she had, who acted as part cook and maid would bring in the luggage. Martha met us at the door, and Aunt Louise introduced us, saying, "Martha is invaluable around

10

here, and she will equally have charge of you children, as I do. You will obey her as you obey me, or she has my orders to punish you just as I would. Now Martha, take the children out to the kitchen and give them something to eat. They are likely hungry. I think a bowl of pap (warm milk and bread) will do them tonight. Then take them up to the children's room. Goodnight, children." Aunt Louise gave us both a peck of a kiss on the cheek again, and Martha led us down the hall to the kitchen area.

Babas started it this time, when Martha seated us at the kitchen table and placed two bibs on the table, saying, "Tie the bibs on each other while I get your pap ready.

"I

"BIBS!" she cried, "why, we are not babies, we don't need bibs. And surely we will get more than just a bowl of bread and milk. Why, that's kids' food too!"

you

"Now," said Martha quietly, "please don't start anything. I want to be your friend, but will have to be good children first. I understand you are about the same age as your cousins, and these bibs are theirs. Madam always has the children wear them to keep their clothes from spots of food. And for tired children there is nothing more digestible and sleep producing than