"No, I don't. But it is no use keeping them if we do not make some effort to make them better than when they came. I should advise you to get in some nice woman who is used to children, to take the charge of them while they are here. That will set us free to do what we can to influence them aright."
"Oh, you must not expect me to do that," said Sheila, "it is quite beyond me. Besides I want doing good to myself. But you, dear Angel, will be able to talk to the children. I should like you to. But you look dreadfully tired. I reproach myself very much. However," she added suddenly with an amused twinkle in her eyes, "you have your dear little pilules to keep you company. Did you remember to take one after every shock you had, and was it ignatia this time or Bella Donna?" and with this she rose laughing, and danced out of the room.
"Will the child ever steady down!" sighed Miss Gregson.
[CHAPTER VII]
ONE OF SHEILA'S SURPRISES
BUT Miss Gregson did not at all agree with Sheila in her opinion of the children. To her they were not "little horrors" but lost lambs, for whom the Good Shepherd of the sheep was seeking, and during the last week of their stay at the Court she did what she could to tell them of the Friend Who loved them.
Sheila took now but small notice of her young guests. She had secured a nice woman from the village to look after them, one who knew how to manage, having had children of her awn, and except for occasional games Sheila saw little of them. She was tired, she informed Miss Gregson; and they had utterly disappointed her by their rude and ungrateful behaviour.
But Miss Gregson saw to it that the poor children had a thoroughly good time, and that they enjoyed their last few days in the country.
As for Jemmy, he had stolen into her heart, and every evening she would tuck him up in his little bed and give him a kiss.
"You're like mother, you are," he said one day after she had given him his good-night kiss. "I'd just as soon stay on here as go back to her. You'd do as well, and you're never drunk."