“Oh! don’t, Jock,” implored Babie, “you’ll get thrown.”

“No such thing.  You’ll come to the meet yourself, Babie, on your Arab.”

“Not she,” said Bobus, in his teasing voice.  “She’ll be governessed up and kept to lessons all day.”

“Mother always teaches us,” said Babie.

“She’ll have no time, she’ll be a great lady, and you’ll have three governesses-—one for French, and one for German, and one for deportment, to make you turn out your toes, and hold up your head, and never sit on the rug.”

“Never mind, Babie,” said Jock.  “We’ll bother them out of their lives if they do.”

“You’ll be at school,” said Bobus, “and they’ll all three go out walking with Babie, and if she goes out of a straight line one will say ‘Fi donc, Mademoiselle Barbe,’ and the other will say, ’Schamen sie sich, Fraulein Barbara,’ and the third will call for the stocks.”

“For shame, Robert,” cried his mother, hearing something like a sob; “how can you tease her so!”

“Mother, must I have three governesses?” asked poor little Barbara.

“Not one cross one, my sweet, if I can help it!”

“Oh! mother, if it might be Miss Ogilvie?” said Babie.

“Yes, mother, do let it be Miss Ogilvie,” chimed in Armine.  “She tells such jolly stories!”

“She ain’t a very nasty one,” quoted Jock from Newman Noggs, and as Janet appeared he received her with-—"Moved by Barbara, seconded by Armine, that Miss Ogilvie become bear-leader to lick you all into shape.”

“What do you think of it, Janet?” said her mother.

“It will not make much difference to me,” said Janet.  “I shall depend on classes and lectures when we go back to London.  I should have thought a German better for the children, but I suppose the chief point is to find some one who can manage Elfie if we are still to keep her.”

“By the bye, where is she, poor little thing?” asked Caroline.

“Aunt Ellen took her home,” said Janet.  “She said she would send her back at bed-time, but she thought we should be more comfortable alone to-night.”

“Real kindness,” said Caroline; “but remember, children, all of you, that Elfie is altogether one of us, on perfectly equal terms, so don’t let any difference be made now or ever.”

“Shall I have a great many more lessons, mother?” asked Babie.

“Don’t be as silly as Essie, Babie,” said Janet.  “She expects us all to have velvet frocks and gold-fringed sashes, and Jessie’s first thought was ‘Now, Janet, you’ll have a ladies’ maid.’”

“No wonder she rejoiced to be relieved of trying to make you presentable,” said Bobus.

“Shall we live at Belforest?” asked Armine.

“Part of the year,” said Janet, who was in a wonderfully expansive and genial state; “but we shall get back to London for the season, and know what it is to enjoy life and rationality again, and then we must all go abroad.  Mother, how soon can we go abroad?”