from ear to ear.

"Are you Alice?" called a voice. "Are you the one I am to sleep with?
Just say, call out loud; don't mind if you shout, because I'm accustomed
to that sort of thing."

"Is this Kitty Malone?" thought Alice. She liked frank, jolly girls;
but she was not quite prepared for Kitty.

She entered the house, flung down her bag of books, and ran upstairs to
the drawing-room. The next moment she found herself in the firm embrace
of a girl a little taller than herself, a slim, very pretty, very
untidy, very overdressed girl.

"Here I am and welcome to yourself," said Kitty. "I was so vexed you
were not here to greet me; but bless you, my dear, I'm quite
comfortable. No, I'm not a bit tired--you haven't asked me, by the way,
but I suppose you mean to. I had a spiffin' journey. Sick! not I. I'm
never seasick, and I enjoyed the train. I made friends with such a dear
old gentleman and with two boys. I nearly kissed the boys when I was
leaving them, but I didn't quite. Is that you, Fred? Come along in now
and let us be jolly together. Why, Alice, how stiff you are; you have
not opened your lips yet."

"I have not had an opportunity," answered Alice. "You do talk such a
lot, Kitty."

"Do I? I expect we all do in Old Ireland. Bless her! she's a dear old
country, and I'm as sorry as anybody to say good-by to her. But, all the
same, I am glad to see England (poky, stiff sort of place it seems). Say