Great-aunt Emily is our aunt on Mother 's side , and she does not like any of the Youngs except Father and Uncle Norman . This was why we had never visited Monkshead . We had never seen Uncle William , and we always thought of him as a sort of ogre when we thought of him at all . When we were children , our old nurse , Margaret Hannah , used to frighten us into good behaviour by saying ominously , `` If you ` uns aint good your Uncle William 'll cotch you . '' What he would do to us when he `` cotched '' us she never specified , probably reasoning that the unknown was always more terrible than the known . My private opinion in those days was that he would boil us in oil and pick our bones . Uncle Norman and Aunt Jean had been living out west for years . Three months before this Christmas they had come east , bought a house in Monkshead , and settled there . They had been down to see us , and Father and Mother and the boys had been up to see them , but we three girls had not ; so we were pleasantly excited at the thought of spending Christmas there . Christmas morning was fine , white as a pearl and clear as a diamond . We had to go by the seven o'clock train , since there was no other before eleven , and we reached Monkshead at eight-thirty . When we stepped from the train the stationmaster asked us if we were the three Miss Youngs . Alberta pleaded guilty , and he said , `` Well , here 's a letter for you then . '' We took the letter and went into the waiting room with sundry misgivings . What had happened ? Were Uncle Norman and Aunt Jean quarantined for scarlet fever , or had burglars raided the pantry and carried off the Christmas supplies ? Elizabeth opened and read the letter aloud . It was from Aunt Jean to the following effect : DEAR GIRLS : I am so sorry to disappoint you , but I can not help it . Word has come from Streatham that my sister has met with a serious accident and is in a very critical condition . Your uncle and I must go to Streatham immediately and are leaving on the eight o'clock express .
I know you have started XXXXX this , so there is no use in telegraphing .
If at before except into of on than to with