“You stopped at a drug shop!” exclaimed Grandma Maynard.  “You four children alone!”

“We weren’t alone,” explained Marjorie “Parker went in with us, and he paid for it.  Wasn’t it all right, Grandma?”

“No; children ought not to go in a shop without older people with them.”

“But Parker is older than we are,” said Kitty, who was of a literal nature.

“Don’t be impertinent, Kitty,” said her grandmother.  “I do not refer to servants.”

Now Kitty had not had the slightest intention of being impertinent, and so the reproof seemed a little unfair.

Unable to control her indignation, when she saw Kitty’s feelings were hurt, Marjorie tried to justify her sister.

“Kitty didn’t mean that for impertinence, Grandma Maynard,” she said.  “We didn’t know it wasn’t right to go for soda water alone, for we always do it at home.  The only thing that bothered me was because I didn’t have the money to pay for it.”

“The money is of no consequence, child; and I suppose you do not know that in the city, children cannot do quite the same as where you live.  However, we will say no more about the matter.”

This was a satisfactory termination of the subject, but Grandma’s manner was not pleasant, and the children felt decidedly uncomfortable.

Their own parents had listened to the discussion in silence, but now their father said, “Don’t be too hard on them, Mother; they didn’t mean to do anything wrong.  And they are good children, if not very conventional ones.”

But Grandma Maynard only said, “We need not refer to the matter again,” and then she told the children to go to their supper, which was ready for them.

As the four sat down to a prettily-appointed table, they were not a happy looking crowd.  Rosamond was too young to understand what it was all about, but she knew that the other three were depressed and that was a very unusual state of things.

“I don’t want any supper,” began Kitty, but this speech was too much for King.  Kitty was very fond of good things to eat, and for her to lose her appetite was comical indeed!

A pleasant-faced maid waited on them, and when Kitty saw the creamed sweet-breads and fresh peas and asparagus, with delightful little tea biscuits, her drooping spirits revived, and she quite forgot that Grandma had spoken sharply to her.

“You’re all right, Kit,” said King, approvingly.  “I was frightened when you said you had lost your appetite, but I guess it was a false alarm.”

“It was,” said Kitty.  “I do love sweet-breads.”

“And there’s custard pudding to come, Miss Kitty,” said the maid, who smiled kindly on the children.  In fact, she smiled so kindly that they all began to feel more cheerful, and soon were laughing and chatting quite in their usual way.

“What is your name, please?” inquired Marjorie, and the maid answered, “Perkins.”