"I am so sorry you were disturbed, Miss Wynne," she said, "and poor
mamma, too. We will take care of Genevieve Maud, and she won't cry any
more. We were just making some plans for her future," she ended,
loftily.

The mouth of Genevieve Maud, stretched for another yell, was arrested
in its distension. Her small ears opened wide. Was she, after all, in
the secret? It would seem so, for the nurse, seemingly satisfied, left
the three children alone and went back to her patient, while Helen
Adeline at once led her small sister to the choice retreat under the
willow.

"We are going to talk to you, Genevieve Maud," she began, "ve-ry
seriously, and we want you to pay 'tention and try to understand."
This much was easy. Mamma usually opened her impressive addresses in
such fashion.

"'Pay 'tention and try to understand," echoed Genevieve Maud, and
grinned in joyful interest.

"Yes, really try," repeated Helen Adeline, firmly. Then, rather
impatiently, and as one bearing with the painful limitations of the
young, she went on:

"You're so little, Maudie, you see, you don't know; and you won't know
even if we tell you. But you are a spoiled child; every one says so,
and mamma said the other day that something should be done. She's
sick, so she can't do it, but we can. We've got to take care of you,
anyhow, so this is a good time. Now what it really is, is a kind of