Ann dressed herself, and ran back to Simpson.

“Simpson,” she said, as that good woman was fastening the hooks and eyes at the back of her frock, “I know it is wrong to be so much excited, but I am.  My heart beats awfully fast at the thought of their coming.”

“Well, Miss Ann, it’s more than my heart does.  And now, miss, if you’ll take a word of advice from me, you’ll keep your feelin’s to yourself, as far as your ma is concerned.  Your ma don’t wish any of you to give way to excitement.  She wants you to grow up steady, well-conducted young ladies.”

“I hate being a well-conducted young lady,” burst from little Ann.

“Oh, dear me, miss! it’s dreadful to hear you talk so unproper.  Now stand still and don’t fidget.”

The frock was fastened, and Ann ran off to join her brothers and sisters on the terrace.

Lucy and Mary were little girls after their mother’s own heart.  They never questioned her wishes, they never rebelled against her rules, they were as good and well-behaved as any two little English maids of the respective ages of twelve and ten could be.  Now, as little Ann approached, they looked at her as if they thought her quite beneath their notice.

“Oh, do go away, Ann!” said Lucy.  “Mary and I are talking secrets, and we don’t want you.”

“You are always talking secrets,” said Ann.  “It’s horrid unfair to me.”

“We have got to talk things over.  We can’t confide in you; you’re the youngest.  Please don’t be disagreeable now.  We are having a most important talk.  Please run away at once.”

Ann looked beseeching, but then, all of a sudden, her eyes fell upon Philip.  She turned, ran up to him, clutched him by the arm, and pulled him away from Conrad.

“Phil,” she said, “I want to have you all to myself.  I have something terribly exciting to say.”

Philip looked from Conrad to Ann.

“But you are always getting into hot water, Ann,” he replied, “and Con and I were talking about our fishes.  We think if we are very careful with our pocket-money we may have enough to buy some gold and silver fish in the holidays.”

“Yes, yes,” answered Ann impetuously; “buy any kind of fish you like.  Only, Con, like a dear, good boy, please go and walk at the other end of the terrace for five minutes.  I must speak to someone or I’ll burst.”

“How awfully vulgar you are, Ann!” said Lucy, who happened to pass by, with Mary leaning on her arm, at that moment.

But Philip felt flattered at Ann’s evident anxiety to be alone with him.

“Go and do as you are told, Conrad,” he said, in lofty tones; “go to the other end of the terrace at once.”

“It’s rather hard on me,” said Conrad.  “I like having secrets as well as anybody else; the air is full of secrets to-day—­why shouldn’t I have some?”

“I’ll have a secret with you by and by,” said Ann, “if you’ll only go away now.”