And very deftly, clinging like a squirrel to the pendant wistaria, he
let himself down into the street again.

The Seagrave twins, intensely excited, watched them as far as Fifth
Avenue, then rapidly drawing on their shoes and stockings, scrambled
down to the shrubbery and raced for the house. Through it they passed
like a double whirlwind; feeble and perfunctory resistance was offered
by their nurses.

"Get out of my way!" said Geraldine fiercely; "do you think I'm going to
miss the first chance for some fun that I've ever had in all my life?"

At the same moment, through the glass-sheeted grill Scott discovered
two small figures dashing up the drive to the porte-cochère. And he
turned on Lang like a wild cat.

Lang, the man at the door, was disposed to defend his post; Scott
prepared to fly at him, but his sister intervened:

"Oh, Lang," she pleaded, jumping up and down in an agony of
apprehension, "please, _please_, let them in! We've never had any
friends." She caught his arm piteously; he looked fearfully embarrassed,
for the Seagrave livery was still new to him; nor, during his brief
service, had he fully digested the significance of the policy which so
rigidly guarded these little children lest rumour from without apprise
them of their financial future and the contaminating realisation
undermine their simplicity.

As he stood, undecided, Geraldine suddenly jerked his hand from the