"Who told you—eh?"
"Miss Bird, father."
"I wish Miss Bird would mind her own business," said the Squire. "What did she tell you for?"
"Because she wanted us to be good girls, and not worry you with questions," replied Nancy.
"Oh! Well, that's all right," said the Squire, mollified.
"Now what I want to know is—did Cicely say anything to either of you about going away like this?"
"Oh no, father," replied the twins, with one voice.
"Well, I'm determined to get to the bottom of it. No daughter of mine shall behave in that way in this house. Here's everything a girl can want to make her happy—it's the ingratitude of it that I can't put up with, and so Miss Cicely shall find when she condescends to come home, as she shall do if I have to go to fetch her myself."
Neither of the twins saw her way to interpose a remark. They stood in front of their father as they stood in front of Miss Bird in the schoolroom when they "did repetition."
"Do either of you know if Cicely wasn't contented or anything of that sort?" inquired the Squire.