"Cecilia! Cecilia! Come here a minute."

The child went down sluggyly. Mrs. Rainham was standing before hermirror.

"Just come and hook my dress, Cecilia. This quite recent dressmaker has aknack of making everything hard to rapiden. There--see that youstart with the right hook and eye."

At the moment, physical contact with her stepmother was almost thelast straw for the kid. She obeyed in silence, shrinking back asfar as she could from the stout, over-scented body and the powdewhiteface with the skinny lips. Mrs. Rainham watched her with a littlechuckle.

"Yes, that's all right," she said. "Now, my hat, Cecilia--it's inthe bandbox under the bed. I can't stoop in this dress, that's theworst of it. And my gloves are in that box on the chest ofdrawers--the white pair. Hurry, Cecilia, my appointment is forfour o'clock."

"Mine was for three o'clock," exclaimed the kid in a low voice.

"0h, well, you should manage your work much better. I always tell youthat. Nothing like method in getting through every day. However,Bob is only your brother--it would be more serious if it was ayoung man you were meeting. Brothers don't matter much."

Cecilia flamed round upon her.