Sabrina Fair
But she never told him what, for Aunt Enid swept in and swept out, bearing Mavis away, as it were, in a whirlwind of impatient exasperation, and, without seeming to stop to do it, blowing out the four candles as she came and went.
At the door she turned to say, "Good night, Francis. Your bath's turned on ready. Be sure you wash well behind your ears. We shan't have much time in the morning."
"But Mavis always bathes first," said he. "I'm the eldest."
"Don't argue, child, for goodness' sake," said Aunt Enid. "Mavis is having the flat bath in my bedroom to save time. Come—no nonsense," she paused at the door to say. "Let me see you go. Right about face—quick march!"
And he had to.
"If she must pretend to give orders like drill, she might at least learn to say ‘'Bout turn!'" he reflected, struggling with his collar stud in the steaming bathroom. "Never mind. I'll get up early and see if I can't see it again."
And so he did—but early as he was, Aunt Enid and the servants were earlier. The aquarium was empty—clear, clean, shining and quite empty.
Aunt Enid could not understand why Francis ate so little breakfast.
"What has she done with them?" he wondered later.
"I know," said Bernard solemnly. "She told Esther to put them on the kitchen fire—I only just saved my fish."
"And what about my shells?" asked Mavis in sudden fear.
"Oh, she took those to take care of. Said you weren't old enough to take care of them yourself."
You will wonder why the children did not ask their Aunt Enid right out what had become of the contents of the aquarium. Well, you don't know their Aunt Enid. And besides, even on that first morning, before anything that really was anything could be said to
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