"She is sure to be," said Nancy elliptically. "We must call her something, and that's as good a name as any till we see what she is like."
"If you don't treat her respectfully she won't stay," said Cicely.
"We haven't treated Starling respectfully, but she has stayed all right," said Joan. "I suppose you know we are going to have lessons besides, Sis—drawing, and music, and deportment, and all sorts of things."
"Oh, we're going to be well finished off while we're about it," said Nancy. "We shall be ready to fill any position, from the highest to the lowest."
"We shall be the ornament of every drawing-room to which we are introduced," said Joan. "I think we're worth polishing off handsomely, don't you, Sis? Have you noticed how awfully pretty we're getting?"
"Now that is a thing," broke in Miss Bird, "that no well-brought-up girl ought to say of herself, Joan."
"But, Starling darling, it's true, and you can't deny it," replied Joan. "We must tell the truth, mustn't we?"
"The new booking-clerk at the station casts admiring glances at us," said Nancy. "At first it made us uncomfortable; we thought we must have smuts on our noses. But at last we tumbled to it. Cicely, we are loved, not only for our worth, but our beauty."
"You are a couple of donkeys," said Cicely, laughing. "Well, I'm glad you're going to apply yourselves to learning, although it's a dreadful thing to be losing our dear old Starling. Kencote will be quite changed."
"There are many changes coming about at Kencote," said Nancy. "Joan and I can feel them in the air. We'll let you know when there's anything more to tell you, Cicely."