her at all. What horrid toads children are! She didn't talk to us much,
but her eyes seemed to be always laughing at us, and when she talked
Italian to her mother, I thought she was showing off, and I wanted to
pinch her for being affected."

"Why, of course she talked Italian," said Alice, who was not much
interested in her sister's recollections.

"Naturally. But that didn't somehow occur to me. After all I was only
seven."

"I wonder if she's really good-looking," said Alice slowly, glancing, as
she spoke, at the reflection of herself in an old dilapidated mirror,
which hung on the schoolroom wall.

"The photos are," said Nora decidedly. "Goodness, I wish she'd come and
get it over. I want to get back to my work--and till she comes, I can't
settle to anything."

"Well, they'll be here directly. I wonder what on earth she'll do with
all her money. Father says she may spend it, if she wants to. He's
trustee, but Uncle Risborough's letter to him said she was to have the
income if she wished--_now_. Only she's not to touch the capital till
she's twenty-five."

"It's a good lot, isn't it?" said Nora, walking about. "I wonder how
many people in Oxford have two thousand a year? A girl too. It's really
rather exciting."

"It won't be very nice for us--she'll be so different." Alice's tone was