Mrs. Dolman drew out a chair near herself.

“You shall sit near me, Diana, and I will help you to your dinner,” she said.  “I hope in future you will really try to be a very good little girl.”

Diana made no reply to this, but when her aunt piled her plate with nourishing and wholesome food, she began to eat with appetite.  Towards the end of the meal she bent over towards Mrs. Dolman, and said in a confiding voice: 

“Has you got woods wound here?”

“Yes, my dear; there are some nice woods about a mile away.”

“I’d like to go there this afternoon, please, Aunt Jane.  I has ’portant business to do in those woods.”  Diana looked round the table very solemnly as she said these last words.  Philip could not help laughing.

“Hush, Philip!  I won’t have Diana laughed at,” said Mrs. Dolman, who for some reason was now inclined to be specially kind to the little girl.  “If you would really like to spend the afternoon in the woods, Diana, I see nothing against it,” she remarked.  “You are all having a holiday, and as to-morrow lessons will of course be resumed, I do not see why your wish should not be gratified.  Miss Ramsay, you will of course accompany the children, and, Lucy, my dear, you can have the pony chaise, if you promise to be very careful.  You can take turns to sit in it, children.  And what do you say to asking cook to put up a few bottles of milk and some cake and bread and butter—­then you need not return home to tea?”

“That would be delightful, mamma,” said Lucy, in her prim voice.

“Thank you, mamma,” said Mary.

“French, my dears; French!” said Miss Ramsay.

“As it is a holiday, Miss Ramsay, the children are allowed to tender their thanks to me in the English tongue,” said Mrs. Dolman.

Miss Ramsay bowed and slightly colored.

“Is you going with us?” asked Diana, fixing her dark eyes full upon the governess’ face.

“Yes, Diana; your aunt wishes it.”

“We don’t want no g’own-ups.”

“Hush, Diana! you must not begin to be rude again,” said Mrs. Dolman.  “Miss Ramsay certainly goes with you, please understand.”

“I underland—­thank you, Aunt Jane,” said Diana.

She looked solemnly down at her empty plate.  Her whole little mind was full of her namesake—­the great Diana of long ago.  She wondered if in the deep shade of the woods she might find a bow strong enough to injure her enemies.

CHAPTER X.

BOW AND ARROW.

Nothing interfered with the excursion to the pleasant woods near Super-Ashton Rectory.  The children all found themselves there soon after four o’clock on this lovely summer afternoon.  They could sit under the shade of the beautiful trees, or run about and play to their hearts’ content.

Miss Ramsay was a very severe governess during school hours, but when there was a holiday she was as lax as she was particular on other occasions.  This afternoon she took a novel out of her pocket, seated herself with her back to a great overspreading elm tree, and prepared to enjoy herself.