travelling. I did not have Martha waken you when the children got up. If it is fine we exercise in the garden every morning first thing. I do not like children to be nowdy and nomp about at will, but supervised exercise to set them up in the morning is a good thing, and then they can be more controlled and sedate the rest of the day. You will start tomorrow morning."

She led the way into the dining room, where we were in for another surprise, a foreshadow of the awful Victorian and old-fashioned house we were in. For without any show of shame, Mabel and Carol put on large white linen pinafores which were over the back of their chairs, and they buttoned each up the backs. The pinafores were like what little girls used to wear, having epaulettes over the shoulders, and smocked with childish designs on the front, Mabel's with a doll, and Carol's with a teddy bear. There was open work lace around the neck and at the hem of the skirt of the pinafore.

As I was thinking what childish people they were to be wearing pinafores at their age of fifteen, I got a shock when Aunt Louise asked Martha to bring two of the children's bibs for Barbara and I. She said, "We will soon have suitable clothes for each of you children, but I am afraid 18

there are no clean pinafores of Mabel and Carol

for you bibs for a few meals.

to wear just now, so

us,

"1

please put on these

Sometimes Babs is more hot-headed than I

you

am and more quickly aroused, for she said, "Aunt Louise, we are NOT used to being treated like little children, and especially wearing such childish things as pinnies, bibs, or even these playsuits. We know how to eat and to keep our clothes clean!" My aunt gave her a long stern look, such as adults can give children and which frightens them, and then said quite calmly, "Dear Niece, I am sure we are very glad to have you staying with but remember that will be here for three years about, so you must fit in and become one of the family. We shall have a long talk afterwards about how I expect you both to behave in my household, but just now it is enough to say that I do NOT want to hear how you are used to being treated. NOW will be treated as I you think fit, and I believe in children being kept in their place. Indeed, children should be seen and not heard, so please remember that. I do not ever want to hear you expressing your own will wear opinion on any subject again, and you what I want you to wear and what I think is suitable. You are just being unreasonable in objecting to wearing pinafores, which I advocate

19