“What a day it has been,” she thought to herself as she nestled down under the cool sheet.  “Yet it began like all the others.  I wonder how all will end.  Perhaps it won’t be so bad after all.  I hope that Betty’s letter won’t do more harm than good.  I shouldn’t be at all surprised, though, if it made Aunt Pike make up her mind to come.  But I’ll try not to think about it,” and turning over on her pillow, Kitty had soon forgotten Aunt Pike, Anna, torn braid, orange cake, and Lady Kitson, and was once again driving dear old Prue across the moor with the storm beating and roaring about them, only this time it was a dreamland moor and a dreamland storm.

CHAPTER V.

IN WENMERE WOODS.

“I could not think, for the moment,” said Kitty, sitting up in bed and clasping her knees, “why I woke with a feeling that something dreadful had happened.  Of course it is Aunt Pike that is on my mind.

“She needn’t be, then,” said Betty, stretching herself luxuriously in her little bed.  “My letter will settle all that worry.”

“Um!” remarked Kitty thoughtfully, with none of the confidence shown by her young sister.  “If your letter doesn’t make her come by the very first train, it will only be because she missed it.  I shouldn’t be at all surprised to see her walk in, and Anna too.”

“You don’t really think she will?” Betty, struck by something in Kitty’s voice, had stopped stretching herself, and looked across at her sister.  “Kitty, you don’t really mean that?  Oh no, of course you don’t; she couldn’t really come to-day, she would have lots to do first—­packing and saying ‘good-byes.’”

“I should think she hadn’t a friend to say ‘good-bye’ to,” said Kitty naughtily.  “Any way, I am not going to worry about her.  If she doesn’t come—­oh, it’ll be perfectly lovely; and if she does—­well, we will get all the fun we can beforehand, and after, too, of course; but we will try and have some jolly times first, won’t we?  What shall we do to-day?  I wonder if Dan has planned anything.”

What Dan’s plan might be was really the important point, for according to him the others, as a rule, shaped their day.

“I don’t know if Dan has made any,” cried Betty with sudden alertness, “but I know what would be simply lovely.  Let’s spend the day in Wenmere Woods, and take our lunch with us, and then have tea at the farm—­ham and eggs, and cream, and cake, and—­”

“Oh, I know,” interrupted Kitty; “just what Mrs. Henderson always gives us—­”

“No,” interrupted Betty anxiously, “not what she always gives us; we will have fried ham and eggs as well, because, you see, it is a kind of special day.”

“Very well, we will if we have money enough.  I wonder if Dan will agree.”

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight,” clanged out the town clock viciously.  Betty sprang up in bed at once.  “It is time to get up, Kitty,” she said peremptorily.  “We’ve got to do everything right to-day, and be very punctual at meals, and very tidy and all that sort of thing, so that father will see that Aunt Pike isn’t wanted.  Do you think he will be vexed when he knows about my writing to her?  P’r’aps she won’t tell.”