The Spanish Chest | Page 7

and
the curtains and the glass. While we were looking, the door opened and
a girl came out. She was about my age, Mother, but so pretty, with gray
eyes and yellow hair and such a complexion. I'd give anything to look
like her."
Frances shook her head with disapproval over her own brown hair and
eyes. To be sure the one was curly and the others straightforward and
earnest, while her gipsy little face and figure were considered attractive
by most people and by those who loved her, very satisfactory indeed.
"Well, this girl came out and we sort of smiled at each other and I
asked if that card meant that there were rooms to let. I told her you
were seasick, and at the hotel, and my brother and I saw the card and
we were looking for lodgings and all the rest, you know. She said yes,
there were rooms and she'd call Sister.
"Sister came and she was a love, tall and sweet and just beautiful, only
she looked sad and wore a black dress. The younger girl went away but
Sister showed us the rooms and they are just what we'd like, I'm sure.
There wasn't any messy wool stuff nor ugly vases,--I forgot to mention
that in the other place there were eight pair of vases on the mantel, truly,
for Roger counted them. These rooms were clean and rather bare, with
painted floors and washable rugs and fresh curtains and flowers, just
one vase in each room and a clear glass vase at that. The beds had iron
frames and good springs and mattresses, for I punched them to see.
Aren't you proud to think I knew enough to do that?" Fran interrupted

her story.
"Two bedrooms had the furniture painted white and the rest had some
old mahogany," she went on.
"How many rooms were there?" inquired Mrs. Thayne, attracted by
Fran's enthusiasm and interested by the pleasant picture she was
describing.
"On the first floor is the drawing-room, which will be at our disposal,"
began Frances, evidently quoting "Sister." "It's pretty and sweet,
Mother dear, very simple with a little upright piano and quite a number
of books and a fireplace. Just behind is a room where we can have our
meals. We can use as many bedrooms as we like; there are five and
Sister said if we wished, one could be made into an
up-stairs-sitting-room. The bathroom was really up- to-date, and
looking very clean."
"And how much does Sister expect for all this?" inquired her mother.
"Well," admitted Frances, "I asked and she smiled so sweetly and said
it depended upon how much service we required and whether we
wanted to do our own marketing and perhaps it would be better to
discuss the terms after you saw whether you liked the rooms. I told her
we were Americans and she said yes, she had thought so. I don't see
why," Frances ended reflectively.
Win gave a chuckle. "Easy enough to guess," he remarked. "I imagine
English girls of fourteen don't go around on their own hook, engaging
lodgings for the family."
"I am almost fifteen," said his sister severely. "And I understood that
Mother wanted me to look for rooms, so I did, but of course she will
make the final arrangements. I thanked Sister and said I'd try to bring
my mother in the morning, for I felt sure she would like the rooms. And
Sister said she'd be very glad to have young people in the house and
that if you wanted references, Mother, you could apply to some
clergyman,--I forget his name,-- but I know it's all right. You'll think so,

too, the minute you see Sister. I fell in love with her. Oh, her name is
Pearce, Estelle Pearce. She gave me her card."
Frances produced it. "You will come and see the rooms to-morrow,
won't you, Mother? Win can come too, for that tiny train is very
comfortable and the walk to the house is short. Rose Villa, Noirmont
Terrace. Isn't that a sweet name?"
[Illustration: THE VILLAGE OF ST. AUBIN'S]
CHAPTER III
ST. HELIER'S
The moment she entered Rose Villa, Mrs. Thayne heartily agreed with
Frances as to its desirability. To Estelle's amazement, she proceeded to
engage all the rooms, offering to pay for the privilege of having the
whole house for her family.
This was better fortune than Estelle had dreamed of and scarcely two
days passed before she realized that a kindly star was favoring her.
Frances and Edith became friends on the spot; Nurse, who might have
proved a problem, took an instant fancy to delicate Win and started on
a course of coddling that luckily amused Win quite as much as it
satisfied Nurse. Blunt, downright Roger appealed