“Come here, Orion,” continued the governess, “and tell me what is the matter with your stomach.”

“Pain,” answered the little boy, “crampy pain.  It’s the ginger-beer.  I’m drefful sick; I can’t do no more lessons.”

“Let me put him to bed,” said Diana; “let me go nurse him.  I’ll sit on his bed and talk to him.  He is a very naughty boy, but I know how to manage him.  Come ’long, Orion; come ’long wid sister Di.”  She grasped the little boy firmly with one of her own stout little hands, and pulled him up on to his feet.

“Diana, you are not to interfere,” said Miss Ramsay.  “Come, Orion; come and explain what is the matter.”

“Lollipops,” moaned Orion, “and ginger-beer.  Oh, I did like the lollipops, and I was so thirsty I thought I’d never leave off drinking ginger-beer.”

“But where did you get lollipops and ginger-beer?  Mrs. Dolman never allows the children to take such unwholesome things.  What can you mean?  Where did you get them?”

To this question Orion refused to make any reply.  Baby as he was, he had a confused sort of idea of honor.  Philip and Conrad had told him that he was on no account whatever to mention the fact that they had gone away fishing on the previous afternoon, that they had visited a little shop and spent some of Orion’s own money.  Philip and Conrad had no money of their own, but before he parted with the children, Mr. Delaney had given the two elder ones five shillings apiece, and the two younger ones half a crown, and Orion’s half-crown had seemed great wealth to Philip and Conrad, and had accordingly induced them to treat the little fellow with marked consideration.  The whole of the money was now gone.  How, Orion had not the slightest idea.  He only knew that his pockets were empty and that he felt very sick and very miserable.

He shut up his little lips now and raised his eyes, with a sort of scowl in their expression, to Miss Ramsay’s face.

“Where did you get the lollipops and ginger-beer?” repeated the governess.

“That’s my own business,” said Orion.  “I’m drefful sick; I want to go to bed.”

“You are a very naughty little boy,” said Miss Ramsay.

“I think him a brick,” whispered Philip to Conrad.

“Hush, for goodness’ sake!” whispered back Conrad.

“I want to go to bed,” repeated Orion.  “I’m drefful sick; I’m quite tired of telling you.  I have got a headache and a pain in my tumtum.”  Again he pressed his hand to his stomach and looked imploringly around him.

“What’s all this fuss?” here burst from Diana.  “Why can’t Orion go to bed?  New teacher, you has a very queer way of managing sildrens.  When we was at home we went to bed when we had pains.  I can’t underland you, not one little bit.”

“Come with me this moment, Orion,” said Miss Ramsay.  “Diana, if you speak a word except in the French tongue, you shall be kept in during all the afternoon.”