“Has Pip gone yet?  Father’ll be awfully cross.  Oh dear, what a head I’ve got!” she said.  “Where’s Esther?  Has anyone seen Esther?”

“My dear Meg!” Judy said; “why, it’s at least two hours since Esther went up the drive before your very nose.  She’s gone to Waverly—­why, she came in and told you, and said she trusted you to see about the coat, and you said, ‘M—­’m! all right.’”

Meg gave a startled look of recollection.  “Did I have to clean it?” she asked in a frightened tone, and pushing her fair hair back from her forehead.  “Oh, girls! what was it I had to do?”

“Clean with benzine, iron while wet, put in a cool place to keep warm, and bake till brown,” said Judy promptly.  “Surely you heard, Margaret?  Esther was at such pains to explain.”

Meg ruffled her hair again despairingly.  “What shall I do?” she said, actual tears springing to her eyes.  “What will Father say?  Oh, Judy, you might have reminded me.”

Nell slipped an arm round her neck.  “She’s only teasing, Megsie; Esther did it and left it ready in the hall—­you’ve only to give it to Pip.  Pat has to take the dogcart into town this afternoon to have the back seat mended, and Pip’s going in it, too, that’s all, and they’re putting the horse in now; you’re not late.”

It was the coat Bunty had done his best to spoil that all the trouble was about.  It belonged, as I said, to the Captain’s full-dress uniform, and was wanted for a dinner at the Barracks this same evening.  And Esther had been sponging and cleaning at it all the morning, and had left directions that it was to be taken to the Barracks in the afternoon.

Presently the dogcart came spinning round to the door in great style, Pip driving and Pat looking sulkily on.  They took the coat parcel and put it carefully under the seat, and were preparing to start again, when Judy came out upon the veranda, holding the General in an uncomfortable position in her arms.

“You come, too, Fizz, there’s heaps of room—­there’s no reason you shouldn’t,” Pip said suddenly.  “Oh—­h—­h!” said Judy, her eyes sparkling.  She took a rapid step forward and lifted her foot to get in.

“Oh, I say!” remonstrated Pip, “you’ll have to put on something over that dress, old girl—­it’s all over jam and things.”

Judy shot herself into the hall and returned with her ulster; she set the General on the floor for a minute while she donned it, then picked him up and handed him up to Pip.

“He’ll have to come, too,” she said; “I promised Esther I wouldn’t let him out of my sight for a minute; she’s getting quite nervous about him lately—­thinks he’ll get broken.”

Pip grumbled a minute or two, but the General gave a gurgling, captivating laugh and held up his arms, so he took him up and held him while Judy clambered in.

“We can come back in the tram to the Quay, and then get a boat back,” she said, squeezing the baby on the seat between them.  “The General loves going on the water.”