A Houseful of Girls

ward with such fear and pain, for which all Dr. Millar's fortitude and all his wife's meekness had been wanted to enable them to bear it with tolerable calmness. It was only Annie and Rose doing wh

n independent member of society, with her own interests to think of-however faithfully and affectionately she might still be concerned for the interests of others-and her individual career to follow. Her separate existence would no longer be merged in that of a band of sisters; it would stand out clearly and distinctly far apart from the old state of tutelage and

hey'd aye be

g dash of the child in her, which dissipated his shyness and tickled his fancy. If matters had turned out otherwise than they had done, he told himself vaguely, he and "little May" would have been a pair of friends. He had no sister, and she had no brother, and he would have liked to play the brother to this most artless of learned ladies. "Look here, Miss Ma

that dear little puppy which you brought down to show to us once-don't you remember? and so it is dead, poor little pet; and Rose has gone away to Lond

neously across his mind and May's whether his speech did not sound as if he thought that Dora Millar's refusal of him must be public property? "For that very reason,

uld like it immensely though-thank you a hundred thousand times, it was so good of you to think of me. But Rose could not have it now, could she? and she wished

y. "Rose has something else instead. She has all London to occupy her. I

e came home. She might have her turn of it at her studio, when she gets a studio. In the meantime I could write full

r that matter," said Tom with a laugh; "but he has a coal-black muzzle, h

to give us the chance of having the other little dog. Mother seldom refuses us anything which she can let us have, still Rose was not sure that mother would give her consent

hould say, to show her that you co

s let down to the regulation length for young ladies. "Indeed, I am almost certain I could not refuse anything to a dear little dog coming to me and sitting up and begging for what he wanted. What is more, if I could Dora couldn't." She could have bitten out her tongue the next instant. What

n reproach or sarcasm, she could not see it under h

t mother thought." She never once suggested his bringing the dog for

her books, "and I hope for your sake that it may be favourable,

e, and presented her petition. Mrs. Millar could not find it in her heart to refuse it, th

lf on an equality with May, as Annie could not have done. Still, she does not rouse the child as Rose roused her. What do y

I caught them at it yesterday. First May actually declaimed several paragraphs from a speech of Cicero's, and next she got Dora to repeat after her the most crabbed of the Greek verbs. I shall have a couple of blue-stockings, and what is worse, one of them spurious, in the room of the single real productio

n still be thinking of Dora?" s

Robinson is a shy man, and, no doubt, proud after his fashion. It must have taken a great effort-premature, therefore mistaken, according to my judgment-for him to screw himself up to the pitch of proposing for a girl of whose answering regard he was uncertain. Having made the bl

they have done with so good a grace-so heroic a grace, not to save my life, Jonathan. But that is not to say that they are to be in haste to marry-tradesmen. Indeed, when I come to think of it, the fact of their being so independent and able to provide for themselves, ought to be like having so many fortunes. It should entitle them to be more particular, and free to pick and choose the husbands who exactly suit the

r father's house. Then I heard that another swain-an officer fellow from the barracks at Craigton was hanging about either you or your poor sister Dolly, nobody could tell which, and I dared not delay longer. I was driven to the supreme rashness of committing my suit to paper, and what

ulder. "You understood me perfectly-you had wit enough for that. You went off directly and ordered ne

a case of the better man being beaten, and fools rushing in where angels fear to tread. Such men as he is accept a sentence without disputing it, because they do not think too much of themselves while they think a great deal of other people. It is not a flaw in their sensit

worst turns the b

et has w

hauteur in her voice. "It is lucky for all parties, since I have n

poor Tom Robinson?" Dr. Mi

Greek letter from another, and were innocent of Latin quantities. She was so wrapped up in her acquisition, so devoted to his tastes in food, the state of his appetite, his sleeping place, the collar he was to have, that for the first

arnestly consulted her sister, hangin

May. You know he is your do

t stand. Perhaps she would like to choose the name as she is away. Don't you think it ought to be put in her power-that

Dora, left th

nd offer him to me," said May meditatively. "

don't suppose Mr. Robinson would relish having a dog named for him. Besides, other people m

of 'Robinson,' you know," explained May, after a moment spent in concocting this subtle amendment, an

?" was the sole comment Dora dei

very distinctive about 'Friend,' and I am sure

ot 'Fox,' since he is a fox-terrier? You might also desire to commemorate the donor's

er said anything unkind of Tom Robinson I don't wish to be reminded o

you could, May," sa

nettled in spite of h

theart,'" went on May, revenging herself with great coolness and deliberation in view of the red that flew into Dora's cheeks; "no, of course not, because Mr. Tom Robinson is not, never has been, and never will be my sweetheart. There is only 'Tray' left