BREAKFAST next morning was not the gay, cheery feast it usually was.Mrs. Maynard came to the table with her hat on, and the children seemed suddenly torealize afresh that their mother was going away."Oh," said Marjorie, "I wish I could go to sleep for six weeks, and then wake up the dayyou come home again.""Oh, you have that farewell feeling now," said Mr. Maynard; "but after we're really gone, and you find out what fun it is to have no one to rule over you, you'll begin to wish wewould stay six months instead of six weeks." Marjorie cast a look of reproach at her father."Not much!" she said, emphatically. "I wish you'd only stay six days, or six hours.""Or six minutes," added Kitty. But at last the melancholy meal was over, and the goodbys really began."Cut it short," said Mr. Maynard, fearing the grief of the emotional children would affecthis wife's nerves.They clung alternately to either parent, now bewailing the coming separation, and againcheering up as Mr. Maynard made delightful promises of sending back letters, postcards, pictures and gifts from every stopping-place on their journey."And be very good to Miss Larkin," said Mrs. Maynard, by way of final injunction. "Cheerher up if she is lonely, and then you'll forget that you're lonely yourselves." This was a novelidea."Oho!" said King, "I guess she'd better cheer us up.""Oh, the four of you can cheer each other," said Mr. Maynard. "Come, Helen, the carriageis waiting-Good-by for the last time, chickadees. Now, brace up, and let your mother goaway with a memory of four smiling faces."This was a pretty big order, but the Maynard children were made of pretty good stuffafter all, and in response to their father's request they did show four smiling, though tearfulfaces, as Mrs. Maynard waved a good-by from the carriage window. But as the carriagepassed through the gate and was lost to their sight, the four turned back to the house withdoleful countenances indeed.Rosy Posy recovered first, and at an invitation from Nurse to come and cut paper-dolls, she went off smiling in her usual happy fashion. Not so the others.Kitty threw herself on the sofa and burying her face in a pillow sobbed as if her heartwould break.This nearly unnerved King, who, being a boy, was specially determined not to cry."Let up, Kit," he said, with a sort of tender gruffness in his tone. "If you don't you'll haveus all at it. I say, Mops, let's play something.""Don't feel like it," said Marjorie, who was digging at her eyes with a wet ball of ahandkerchief.