"You have an unusual name," Miss Pring remarked, transferring her attention to Joy. "Is it an abbreviation!"
"Yes, I am really called Joyce. Everyone seems struck with my name," Joy said, gravely; "Uncle Jasper was—I am not sure he liked it."
"I like it," Miss Pring declared, decidedly, whereupon Joy smiled up into the dark plain face of her new governess's aunt, and met an answering smile in return. "We shall be friends, I foresee," Miss Pring continued; "you and I will soon learn to understand each other."
"Are you coming to the Moat House to call on mother?" Joy asked, eagerly. "Oh, I hope you are!"
"I will come very soon," Miss Pring replied, suddenly making up her mind. "How do you like the Moat House?"
"Very much. We have been there a week, you know, and Uncle Jasper is very kind, but we don't see much of him. He likes to talk to mother best. We are going to begin lessons to-morrow, and I think I am glad."
"Joy," interposed Celia, "I have been telling Miss Pring— I mean this Miss Pring," she said, indicating Mary with a smiling glance, "that as her surname is the same as her aunt's, we might call her Miss Mary, and she says she has no objection to our doing so."
"Very well," Joy agreed readily.
After that, good-byes were exchanged, the children turned homewards, and aunt and niece proceeded in the opposite direction.
"Well, what do you think of our governess's relation?" Celia asked, as soon as she and her sister were safely out of earshot of the others. "Did you ever see such an ugly old frump before?"