‘I wish it was warm enough to bathe,’ thought Biddy.  ’But if it was they’d be sure to say I mustn’t, or that I was naughty or something,’ and in her anger at the imaginary cruelty of ‘they,’ she kicked the little stones of the gravel at her feet as if it was their fault!  But the little stones were too meek to complain, and Biddy got tired of kicking them, and seating herself astride on the wall, sat staring out at the sea.  Somehow it reminded her of her good resolutions, though it was a quite different-looking sea from the evening tide, with the red sun sinking below the horizon, like that first time on the shore.

What a pity it was that she had spoilt the fresh beginning of being so nice and good at her new lessons by being cross to Alie!  And in her heart Biddy knew that her sister had not blamed her without reason—­it was her old fault of heedlessness; she was quite old enough to understand that she should not have asked Celestina to invite her, and she knew too that Celestina had been right in answering as she did.  But all these ‘knowings in her heart’ did not make Biddy feel more amiable.

‘It’s no good trying,’ she said to herself as she got slowly down off the wall—­Bridget was always deliberate in her movements—­’I’ll just not bother.  I’ll do my lessons, ’cos I don’t want them to say I’m stupid, but I’m not going to try not to be cross and all that.  I’m tired of trying.’

Mrs. Vane noticed at luncheon that Biddy was quiet and silent and not particularly amiable looking, but Alie whispered that it had nothing to do with lessons, which had gone off well.

’Don’t notice her, mamma; it was only that she was vexed with me for something,’ Alie added; so nothing was said to Biddy, and she was allowed to nurse her grievances in silence.

She cheered up a little by tea-time, and told Randolph triumphantly that she had done all her lessons for Miss Neale ’by myself, without asking that nasty cross Alie or nobody to help me.’  But she remained very surly to her sister, though Alie tried to prevent her father and mother noticing it.

Next day was rainy and blowy.  Miss Neale and Celestina arrived smothered up in waterproofs and goloshes, and there was quite a bustle to get them unpacked from their wrappings and warmed at the schoolroom fire.  Biddy made herself very important, and forgot for the time about being vexed with Rosalys.

Lessons went off well, thanks to Bridget’s putting a good deal of control on herself, though there were moments that morning which made the young governess say to herself that she could understand its being sometimes true that Biddy was tiresome and trying.  When Celestina was putting on her hat and jacket to go she gave Biddy a little touch on the arm.

‘I asked mother,’ she whispered, ’about what you said, and mother says perhaps some day you would come early in the afternoon, and we could play with the dolls and have tea for ourselves out of mother’s toy cups that she had when she was a little girl.  They are so pretty.  It wouldn’t be quite a real tea, for we don’t have real tea till past five, but I’m sure mother would get us some little cakes, and we might make it a sort of a feast.’