"Madame Villard is not in," said the maid, "but the children are in the nursery. Would you like to go to them?"
Thus it happened that Auntie Sue arrived at the nursery door in time to hear the two little girls discussing a serious question.
Auntie Sue did not want to eavesdrop. She would not have listened to the children if she could have helped herself. But the fact of the matter was that Auntie Sue became rooted to the floor, and she could not move.
For the first thing she heard was Jeanne's voice saying, "Oh, Margot! I hate all those silly clothes! I hate being a model. I want to be just a little girl."
Jeanne's voice was bitter. Is it any wonder that Auntie Sue could not move from the spot on which she was standing? She grasped the door knob to keep herself from falling.
Then the conversation went on.
"Then why do you do it?" asked Margot's voice.
"Because," came Jeanne's, "I dare not tell Auntie. She works so hard and takes such good care of me. You see, I have no mother and father."
There was silence, and then Jeanne's voice went on, "My papa was a soldier. But Auntie does not know where he fell."