"'Give it to your brother Andrew the minute he comes from school,"
she whispered, popping a big chocolate at the same time into
the little girl's mouth. Bunty was next bribed, with a promise of
the same melting delicacies, to run up to Aldith's with the other
letter, and Meg breathed freely ago feeling she had skilfully
averted the threatening danger attendant on the evening
meeting.

But surely the notes were fated! Bunty delivered his safely
enough to the housemaid at the MacCarthys', and in answer to
the girl's question "s'posed there was an answer, girls always
'spected one to nothing."

Aldith was confined to her room with a sudden severe cold, and
wrote a note to her friend, telling her how she was too ill to be
allowed out, and had written to Mr. Graham, and Mr. Courtney,
too, postponing the walk for a week.

Now this note, in its pale pink triangular envelope, was
transferred to Bunty's pocket among his marbles and peanuts and
string. And, as might be expected, he fell in with some other
choice spirits on the return journey, and was soon on his knees
by the roadside playing marbles.

He lost ten, exclusive of his best agate, fought a boy who had
unlawfully possessed himself of his most cherished "conny," and
returned home with saddened spirits an hour later, only to find
as he went through the gate that he had lost Aldith's dainty
little note.