‘How do you do, my dear?’ said Mrs. Vane, shaking hands with her.  ’I have just seen your mother; she said you were out a walk, but we did not know we should find you on the shore.  Is it not rather lonely for you here by yourself?’

‘I was looking for shells, ma’am,’ Celestina replied.  ’There’s very pretty tiny ones just about here sometimes, though you have to look for them a good deal; they’re so buried in the sand.’

’But she has found such beauties, and she takes them home for her dolls to use for dishes, and some of them for ornaments,’ said Biddy.  ’Do show mamma how sweet they are, Celestina.  And oh, mamma, mayn’t I stay a little with Celestina and look for them too?’

Mrs. Vane hesitated.

‘I’m afraid not, Biddy,’ she said.  ’I must be going in—­and Alie too.  She must write to grandmamma to-day.’

‘Oh, but mayn’t I stay?’ asked Biddy entreatingly.  ’It’s quite safe for me if it’s safe for Celestina, and she says her mamma often lets her come out on the shore alone.’

Mrs. Vane looked round; the seashore was perfectly quiet except for one or two old fishermen mending their nets at some distance.  One could have thought it miles away from the little port and the ships and the sailors.  Then, too, the Rectory was a very short distance off, and indeed from its upper windows this sheltered stretch of sand could be clearly seen.

‘Well, yes,’ she said.  ’You may stay for half an hour or so—­not longer.  And indeed by then it will be quite time for you too to be going home, will it not, my little girl?’ she added to Celestina.

’Yes, ma’am.  I must be home by half-past four, and it takes twenty minutes from here.  I can go past the Rectory and see Miss——­’ she hesitated over the name, ‘Miss Biddy in at the gate, if you please,’ said Celestina, in her womanly little way.

Mrs. Vane thanked her; then she and Rosalys walked on, and the two small damsels were left alone.

‘Why must you be in by half-past four?’ asked Biddy.

‘It’s getting dark by then,’ said Celestina.  ’Besides there’s things to do.  I get the tea ready very often.  When mother’s not very busy it waits for her till she can leave the shop, but to-day I know she’s busy, ’cos father’s got a great many letters to write.  So I’ll get the table all ready.’

Bridget gazed at her.

‘Do you like doing it?’ she asked.  ’You’re such a little girl, you see—­not much bigger than me, and you play with dolls.’

‘I like to be useful to mother,’ said Celestina simply.

This was rather a new idea to Bridget, and she was sometimes very lazy about thinking over new ideas.

‘Alie’s useful to mamma, I suppose,’ she said, ’but then she’s the eldest.  And you’re the only one—­that’s why, I daresay.  Is it nice to be the only one?’

‘Sometimes it’s very alone,’ said Celestina, ’some days when mother’s very busy and I scarcely see her, and I’ve nobody to show the dolls to.’