"But you weren't afraid of me, and my father is only a poor old sick man who hates his life, and makes everyone who comes near him as miserable as he is."
"Couldn't you tell him better than me?" said Faith, shyly.
"I'm sure I couldn't. Will you come to tea one day—you and your sisters—and play in an untidy old garden? Would you like to?"
"Oh, we should love it! We adore going out to tea, and everybody is so kind here. And we love seeing new gardens. Nobody had gardens in London."
"All right. One day I'll drive over for the three of you. Would the Captain like to come too?"
"He's ill now. Oh, how kind you are!"
Faith danced softly up and down on her toes. Then her friend walked back to the village with her and she ran home and told Granny all about her meeting.
Granny was amused.
"You children seem making friends with everybody," she said. "But don't set your heart upon people's promises. They often go their way and forget. A grown-up man does not often care to entertain children."
When Charity and Hope came home they had as much to tell Faith as she had to tell them.