"No, no," said Lord de la Poer; "leave them in peace. That poor girl
will never thrive unless you let her use her voice and limbs. I
shall make her come over and enjoy herself with my flock when we come
up en masse."

The explosions were less carefully stifled, and there were some
sounds of rushing about, some small shrieks, and then the door shut,
and there was a silence again.

By this it may be perceived that Kate and Ernest had become tolerably
intimate friends. They had informed each other of what games were
their favourites; Kate had told him the Wardour names and ages; and
required from him in return those of his brothers and sisters. She
had been greatly delighted by learning that Adelaide was no end of a
hand at climbing trees; and that whenever she should come and stay at
their house, Ernest would teach her to ride. And then they began to
consider what play was possible under the present circumstances--
beginning they hardly knew how, by dodging one another round and
round the table, making snatches at one another, gradually assuming
the characters of hunter and Red Indian. Only when the hunter had
snatched up Aunt Jane's tortoise-shell paper-cutter to stab with,
complaining direfully that it was a stupid place, with nothing for a
gun, and the Red Indian's crinoline had knocked down two chairs, she
recollected the consequences in time to strangle her own war-whoop,
and suggested that they should be safer on the stairs; to which
Ernest readily responded, adding that there was a great gallery at
home all full of pillars and statues, the jolliest place in the world
for making a row.

"Oh dear! oh dear! how I hope I shall go there!" cried Kate, swinging