23

him sitting up abuptly. Ou

"Oh dear! I'm so sorry, sir," (I made my voice soft and tried to pitch it higher than ordinarily.) I was startled at my success. Knowing that by this time Mrs. Vickers would be outside the door, I faltered -

"I really thought this was the room Barbara uses. She told me it was the second one on the right but I must have mis- understood her".

young lady. It all de- Her room is across the

"No, you didn't misunderstand her, pends on which way you are going. hall. He was looking at me with a little smile at the corner of his lips and, noting, I felt that he recognized me and was laughing at me. As I started to go he said, "By the way, who are you? I thought I knew all of Barbara's friends but I don't think we've met, or have we? You look rather ramiliar". "I'm Lilly Doran. I went to school with Barbara".

"Oh, well Barbara's room is right across the hall from this one. Come in and say hello to me whenever you can, Lilly". "I certainly shall, Mr. Vickers", I smiled, for suddenly I saw that he did NOT know me. Tossing my head so that my hair swirled around my ears, I minced out of the room and as soon as I passed the door on the outside, I saw Dora, Mrs. Vickers and Barbara standing outside, hugging themselves with silent laughter. I had thought my mother-in-law would immediately go into her husband's room and reveal the entire hoax but they followed me down the stairs and once in the library, they collapsed into chairs with shrieks of joy.

"Arne't you going to tell Dad?", I asked wonderingly.

"No, we are not going to tell him.

Now don't ask me why.

I just say that we are not going to tell him. Don't you breathe a word to him!"

(continued in next issue)