A Knight on Wheels

d taken off her jacket, and was using it as a cushion to mitigate the hardness of her perch. She was dressed in a blue cotton frock, which was gat

er eyes were soft and brown, and some of her hair had blown up across

ll, and surveyed her a

said the lit

Philip, in g

day," the little

ared to pass on. Uncle Joseph's warning had

d the small sir

will," sa

hy

curious difficulty in informing this little creature that he was leaving her because she belonged to a dangerous and unscrupulous cl

ered her stern-chasers, and the

're

ve burned like acid. But Philip merely said

er if I

ently he

be, because I wanted t

sed again. Boy nature, long dormant, w

ed shy!" he said

nd walked q

the gate, studiously admiring the sun

id nervously,

irl looked d

e back again?

id Philip

hy

rsued Philip doggedly, "th

girl nodd

ly. "You were not shy-

ot only may, but, if he values his soul, must, be rude to women upon all occasions. It is therefore regrettable to

ess. "I didn't mean to be rude to

nt, but stood up on her heels and unroll

t it," she said maternally, pa

e gate. Then he delibera

e little girl, with the least

other side of you. Then I shall be able to ke

so. Poor Un

ightly dazed, chiefly noted the little girl's hands, which were clasped round her knees

ed to him with a qui

e why," she

asked Philip

went away

the task of relegating this small but dangero

Uncle Joseph said,"

Uncle

ive wit

mother?" A pair of very kind

N

or

ress a small arm was s

said the little girl. "You may

nnection as soon as he could decently es

continued his admonitress, "because

he might safe

ed the little girl. "What is your name?" sh

ili

lip

ip Me

?" enquired the lady,

Philip, feeling great

him-something that had nothing to do with Uncle Joseph. He turned to his compani

name?" he enqu

coner," replied the little gi

ip. "Do they ca

y called Peggy.

hy

er sighed i

Marguerite," she expla

said P

further confession, when the

l me Peggy i

seemed to be crumbling altogeth

you Pegs," h

dy so designated. "Now tell

nce more, "was with me on Sund

hauteur. Then she continued inconseque

d the hapless Philip,

r's slim bod

. "How can you say suc

ns must always be accepted without comment and never again referred t

perately, for Peggy's eyes were almost tearful, "y

e suggestion was accepted. Miss Falco

aid; "that w

women always did that. He said they couldn't help it. It was a-

ed Miss Falconer helpfu

ite sure it was not, but he was anxious not to offend again. "He said it

Peggy, deep

ologetically. Half an hour ago he could have set forth the

r to be offended. She seemed ra

arm in an ingratiating manner. "But why doesn't Uncle Joseph like women? They can't do anything to him! They can't stop him doing nice things! Th

yes-o

does h

e upset the natural balance of Creation. They act from reason and not instinct-no, I think it is the other way round-they act from instinct and not from reason. They have no breadth of view or sense of proportion. They argue from the particular to the general; and in all argument they habitually beg the question and shift their ground if worsted. They cannot organise or direct; they only scheme and plot. Their own o

. Evidently she declined to go all th

y, "but some of it sounds pretty silly. Is y

p stoutly. "He is

. "I shall talk to Mother about him.

, for the first time, that for all her youthfu

uired Philip, forgetting

the lamp-posts ar

night,

ut Philip was restrained by his principles (now returning hurriedly to duty), and Miss P

big armchair before the study fire. He was

ental credulity of a number of estimable but credulous females, we have raked i

pend it this week, Uncl

stmas Day. You can do a lot with forty-seven pounds ten, Philip. For about fourpence you can distend a small stomach to its utmost capacity, and you can wrap it up and keep it warm for very little more. What a blessed thing it is that these misguided females have some one to divert their foo

h laughed w

it some day-when I go out of business! Yes, we'll stick to coal-and-blanket charities at present, Philip. After Christmas I want to

mulate his epistolary faculties by walking about t

Trinity College, Cambridge. Trinity is so big that it is very hard to trace all its late Fellows, especially if their name is Brown. John's is good, too,

rs. Not of letters such as this, which (between you and I) it is with the utmost

ammatical sentence, but she won't k

terature, where the rarest spi

rayer Book, and fits

as gods, and take sw

, but she will probably thin

ead, as one of the protag

tagonist is, but it will p

Yet, believe me, even I have had my little circle. I, too, have walked in the groves of the Acade

come to the

inguished. Two years ago I was atta

limbs' when talking

llowship expired six months ago, and has not been renewed. My pupils are dispersed to the corners of the earth. Entirely without private means, I have migrated to Lond

good tou

lerica

clerical means something to do with

ng, and I know that you know I hate asking; but there is

that means, but i

I venture to hope that in appealing to you, of al

d Uncle Joseph. "She will expect it from a Don with paralytic legs, I fan

he authorities; but-well, a man hates to have to appeal twice for a thing that should by rights be granted without

ma su

udent pertusa

She may take it to some educat

Joseph?" asked Philip, car

patches on his trousers cannot aff

p-to send me a little work to do. The remuneration I leave to y

frater

ur B

h the lady members of the Authors' Society, and have picked out most of its female geniuses. Now for next week's list for the Kind Young Hearts! Three or four of the old items can stand

Mablethorpe,

shness of the average female philanthropist is so stupendous that one grows careless. Instead, we will substitute a League of Playground Helpers-a band of interfering young women whose primary act of officiousness shall be to invade the East End and instruct slum-children in the a

ccompaniment of this sort, and Philip

h glanced a

spelt but touching appeal to some little girls. About a dozen will do-the children of wealthy or titled widows. The difficulty will be to get hold of the brats' Christian names. However, we will

le boy about your age, and my Daddy

ling mistake

hen she thinks we are all in bed asleep. I have no sister of my own-only a little baby brother. How I wish you were my

p, old man. G

ly, fixedly, and rebelliously at the paper be

erformed his duties mechanically, without even considering the morality of his conduct or

he wo