Biddy wriggled impatiently.

‘They’ve no business not to tell me,’ she said, taking not the least notice of Miss Neale’s words.  Then she banged down her books and ran out of the room without saying good-morning to her governess.

Miss Neale did not see anything more of her till she and Celestina returned that afternoon.  It was a lovely day, and so as not to lose any of the pleasant brightness of the afternoon, Mrs. Vane had made the girls get ready early and go a little way down the sandy lane to meet the two coming from Seacove.  Bridget was gloomy, but Alie was particularly cheerful, and after a while the younger sister’s gloom gave way before the sunshine and the fresh air and Alie’s sweetness.

‘There they are,’ she exclaimed, as two figures came in sight; ’shall we run, Biddy?’ and almost without waiting for a reply off she set, Bridget following more slowly.

When she got up to them Celestina and Alie were talking together eagerly.  They stopped short as Biddy ran up, but she heard Celestina’s last words, ’Mother says she’ll be sure to get it by to-morrow or the day after.’

‘What are you talking about?’ asked Bridget.

Celestina grew red but did not speak.  Rosalys turned frankly to her sister—­

‘It’s a message of mamma’s we can’t tell you about,’ she said, ’but you’ll know some time.’

Alas, the brightness of the afternoon was over, as far as Biddy was concerned.  She turned away scowling.

‘Why should you know if I don’t?’ she said; ’and what business has Celestina to know—­she’s as little as me nearly?’

[Illustration:  A SECRET.  P. 148.]

‘Oh, Biddy,’ said Alie reproachfully.

But that was all.  She knew that argument or persuasion was lost on her sister once she was started on her hobby-horse, ill-temper.  She could only hope that she would forget about it by degrees.  And after a while it almost seemed so.  They went down to the shore, where it was so bright and pleasant that it did not seem possible for the crossest person in the world to resist the soft yet fresh breeze, the sunshine glancing on the sands, the sparkling water in the distance.  And Miss Neale was full of such good ideas.  She taught them a new play of trying to walk blindfold, or at least with their eyes shut, in a straight line, which sounds very easy, does it not? but is, I assure you, very difficult; then they had a capital game of puss-in-the-corner, though the corners of course were only marks in the sand; and with all this it was time to go home to tea almost before they knew where they were.

‘How pretty it must be up in the lighthouse to-day,’ said Celestina as they were turning away.

This was the signal for Bridget’s quarrelsomeness again.

‘Miss Neale,’ she said, shading her eyes from the sun, as she gazed out towards the sea, ’Celestina does talk such nonsense.  She says you can’t walk over the sands to the lighthouse.  Now can’t you?  I can see sand all the way.’