The little dog lowered his triumphant tail and came at once to his mistress, who picked him up and tucked him under her arm. He raised his head and licked her nose affectionately.

"Now we'll tell you something," she went on, turning to Miss Ballinger, who now had the grace to look a little abashed, "an' we'll tell it without being rude. You ought not to speak to a little dog like that. He wasn't doing any harm, was he? Jus' sitting there on the grass watching you painting, like we were..."

"And then you tried to thrash him with a paint brush," the boy broke in.

"Poor little helpless boy," his sister crooned to the dog, whose tail was now wagging furiously behind her. "He only defended himself, didn't he? How can he know what a paint brush is for? If you'd let him stay by you he would soon learn."

"That's all we wanted really," the boy added. "Just to know how you did it. We're always being told we've got to learn things and we haven't met many artists..."

Miss Ballinger stalked heavily back to her stool. Her face was very red and her mouth was working, but no words seemed to issue from it.

"Oh, joy," Penny murmured. "She's in an awful fury. She'll explode in a minute. Who are those kids, anyway? I've seen the dog somewhere I know."

Jon said, "It's amazing, but even with my glasses on they look exactly alike."

"They are," said the boy between them sadly. "We get muddled ourselves sometimes. Look! Dickie is holding her stool politely while she sits down. I wonder who she is?"

"We can tell you that," Penny replied. "Who are those kids? They look rather fun."

"They always seem funny at first, but I get a bit tired of them... I'm their brother, you see, and I get fed up with it sometimes. Listen! The old dear is off again."

"Very well," Miss Ballinger boomed. "So you tell me how I'm to speak to a dog, do you! You suddenly appear from nowhere and ask impertinent questions, then you stand round and irritate me with more questions, then you set your abominable animal at me and then you proceed to lecture me. Now then! For the last time. Will you go away and leave me in peace?"

A stifled roar came from Miss Ballinger, and she got up and began to nimble in the capacious bag which Jon and Penny remembered so well. Then:

"Listen to me, my dears," in a very different kind of voice, for she gulped first and then almost cooed. "Do you like ices? It's very hot today and perhaps you would like a big ice each. Now, here's half a crown... Just run along and get yourselves a big tub each... Here you are, my dears."

The twins regarded her coldly.

"No, thank you," said Mary. "We don't care much for ices... Not in the afternoon."