"Yes, we're sorry we held you up; and if you like, we'll tear up the paper you signed."
"That seems a pity," said Miss Loder slowly; "because really Tina and I are very happy together. I don't know that we want to have much to do with boys."
"But I'm an awfully nice boy," said Dawn enthusiastically; "dad says so, and Puggy is ripping! I'm sure you'd like to know us, and we'd have such fun. We've come over to invite you and Tina up to our den. We've just cooked some toffee."
Miss Loder capitulated slowly.
"If you were to bring that paper here and burn it, I might forget my promise," she said.
Puggy produced it promptly from his pocket and threw it into the fire.
Then Miss Loder rose from her chair.
"Come along, Tina, we'll go and have some of this delicious toffee."
Christina was delighted, and from that time the boys and Miss Loder were thorough good friends. She tried to teach her small pupil to play at hockey with them; but Christina never enjoyed a rough game. She was in terror the whole time. She fought hard with her many fears, and took to following Dawn's suggestion about climbing up the turret stairs on her knees as a kind of penance when she had been unnecessarily timid. She did not tell any one of this except Miss Bertha, and she confided it to her when she went in to take her some flowers one day.
"You see," she explained, "I do so want to be a proper Maclahan. I never shall, I'm afraid. But yesterday afternoon we went across a field, and a cow came after us. I—I screamed and ran behind Miss Loder, and Puggy laughed and called me a little coward. So in the afternoon when I had finished my lessons, I went up the turret stairs on my knees to punish myself. It hurts, you know; and as I went up I said your text over and over and over. I hope I shan't be frightened when I see a cow next time; do you think I shall? And you won't tell any one, will you? It's all my own secret."