pictured walls, glowing in the evening firelight.

"Not large enough now," the smiling mother objected. "We are going to
build new ones--a wing at the back--and turn these into bedrooms for
the elder children, who will soon be old enough to have their own."

"Oh, what little loves!" Deb then exclaimed, her eyes upon the young
inhabitants--five little fat, white, vigorous creatures in various
stages of preparation for bed.

"There is one absent," explained Rose, in accents of keen regret.
"John, the eldest; he is paying a visit to his grandparents. This is
Constance, the second"--a golden-haired girl, enjoying her nightly
treat of nursing the new baby. "And this is Kathleen"--a chubby
creature in a flannel dressing-gown, waiting for her bath; "and Lucy"--
being rubbed down by the nursery underling, Jane; "and Pennycuick"--
Deb started at the name, and was uncertain whether it pleased her or
not in this connection--the baby but one, in the tub under the hands
of old head-nurse Keziah. "ARE they not sweet?"

They really were. Clean-blooded, clear-eyed, well-fed,
well-kept, full of life and fun--the pride of the maternal heart was
amply justified. Deb plunged into the group delightedly, kissed them,
teased them, tickled them, did everything a proper aunt should do; and
Rose was in ecstasies.

"Oh, Debbie," she pleaded, "DON'T go yet! Stay with them for a little.
Stay and see baby undressed--I always do it myself--and have a bit of
dinner with us; you will, won't you? Give me my nursing apron, Jane."