whenever she had ever so little pleasure, Aunt Barbara always grudged
it to her.

None of them had ever heard anything like it; to the little De la
Poers she seemed like one beside herself, and Grace clung to Mary,
and Adelaide to Miss Oswald, almost frightened at the screams and
sobs that Kate really could not have stopped if she would. Lady Jane
came to the head of the stairs, pale and trembling, begging to know
who was hurt; and Mrs. Lacy tried gentle reasoning and persuading,
but she might as well have spoken to the storm beating against the
house.

Lady Barbara sternly ordered her off to her room; but the child did
not stir--indeed, she could not, except that she rocked herself to
and fro in her paroxysms of sobbing, which seemed to get worse and
worse every moment. It was Miss Oswald at last, who, being more used
to little girls and their naughtiness than any of the others, saw the
right moment at last, and said, as she knelt down by her, half
kindly, half severely, "My dear, you had better let me take you up-
stairs. I will help you: and you are only shocking everyone here."

Kate did let her take her up-stairs, though at every step there was a
pause, a sob, a struggle; but a gentle hand on her shoulder, and firm
persuasive voice in her ear, moved her gradually onwards, till the
little pink room was gained; and there she threw herself on her bed
in another agony of wild subs, unaware of Miss Oswald's parley at the
door with Lady Barbara and Mrs. Lacy, and her entreaty that the
patient might be left to her, which they were nothing loth to do.

When Kate recovered her speech, she poured out a wild and very