"Alas! The crystal has grown milky."
"And it's your bedtime!" said Mavis. "I expect you were on your way upstairs when you came in here. Confess!"
"There's no hurry. I'll stay and tell yours too if you like."
"No, thanks. This will do for both of us. Is Mother in the drawing-room?
Come along, Merle, we won't work any more to-night."
"Oh, I must just look up what was it?—the products of Java and Borneo, and William Cowper, and Keltic words. There's luck in them! Just for five minutes! Get off to bed, you kid, and leave me to work."
Rather reluctantly Mavis fell in with her sister's humour and reopened her text-books.
"Clive's only fooling!" she remonstrated.
"I know; and so am I! Here we are—Keltic words in use in the English language. You can squint over my shoulder if you like."
The five minutes lengthened out till Mrs. Ramsay came herself and put a finish to the preparation.
"It's silly to overdo it. You'll only have headaches to-morrow and be able to remember nothing. Come along to the drawing-room and sing to Father."