Biddy’s eyes sparkled.

‘Oh, that would be nice,’ she exclaimed.  ’Yes, please, tell your mother I’d like to come very much.  And just fancy, Celestina, that horrid Alie said it was very rude of me to have asked you to ask me.  I’m sure it wasn’t, now, was it?’

Celestina grew red and hesitated.

‘I’m sure you didn’t mean to be rude, Miss Biddy,’ she said.  ’Mother said——­’ but here she stopped.

‘What did she say?’ demanded Biddy.

‘I didn’t mean to say that she said anything,’ poor Celestina answered, ‘only when you asked me——­’

‘What did she say?’ Biddy repeated, stamping her foot.

‘She didn’t say you were rude; she said you were only a child,’ Celestina answered quietly.  Biddy’s temper somehow calmed her.  ’And I think so too,’ she added.

’Then, I think you’re very, very unkind, and I’ll never come to your house at all,’ said Biddy.

And thus ended the second morning.

Bridget was a queer child.  By the next day she seemed to have forgotten all about it.  She was just as usual with Rosalys, and met Celestina quite graciously.  But it was not that she was ashamed of her temper or anxious to make amends for it.  It was there still quite ready to break out again.  But she was lazy, and very often she seemed to give in when it was really that keeping up any quarrel was too much trouble to her.  I think, however, that Celestina’s perfect gentleness did make her a little ashamed.

Lessons were on the whole satisfactory.  Celestina worked so steadily that she would soon have left Biddy behind had Biddy been as idle as had often been the case under Miss Millet.  And Mrs. Vane was pleased to think that the plan had turned out so well.

One day, about a week after Miss Neale had begun to teach the children, just as they were finishing lessons, Rosalys made her appearance in the schoolroom.  It was one of the days on which Miss Neale and Celestina came back in the afternoon to take the girls a walk and to stay to tea afterwards.  Rosalys looked pleased and eager.

‘Celestina,’ she said, ’mamma has a little message for you.  Please come into the drawing-room before you go home this morning.’

Up started Biddy.

’What is it, Alie?  Do tell me.  Mayn’t I come into the drawing-room with Celestina?’

Alie shook her head, though smilingly.

‘No,’ she said; ‘it’s something quite private for Celestina.’

‘I’ll come,’ said the little girl, but Bridget’s face darkened.

‘It’s not fair,’ she muttered, as Celestina, after carefully putting her books away, left the room.

‘Come now, my dear,’ said Miss Neale, not very wisely, perhaps—­she scarcely knew Biddy as yet—­’you shouldn’t be jealous.  It’s a very little thing for Celestina to have a message to do for your mamma.  Some other time there will be one for you to do, I have no doubt.’