Sweethearts at Home

, 3 o'clock. Coo

It was father who wrote it, and I think he did his best, saying a lot of

about such things, said that would not be very kind to father, and might do him harm in his business. But that if I wo

on his preserves. I can see him tugging at his big mustache, and walking very solid and determined, same as he does when he says to the boys, "You

e NOT going to get that

his time only, mind you!"-whereas the rabbit always ends up by eatin

eady stones you can't see into-oh, yes-thank you very much-turquoise. And somehow I thought that it had come from a fearfully rich uncle in India, who was Prime Minister to a Begum, and would come home one day with an elephant in a huge cattle truck, like what I had seen on the rai

creant who had done it, and bid the elephant, whose name w

mixed in my mind. You see I was very little then, so little that I don't remember there being any boys. Though I suppose Hugh John was

Sunday and one for week-days. The Sunday one was pu

even Hugh John, who never cries at all. But, then, he has hair short like a door-mat and rough as if made of teased string. He has also a head so hard that he will bounce it right t

ed with my finger. They were in a big bowl, all powdery, and smelt nice-especially on hot days. Then I used to think that the poor old dead things were stirring in their sleep, and trying to "blossom in the dust." I don't know where I got those

ys gave me, I started looking round under all the sofas and chairs to see that there were n

g on in the garden; the picking of white raspberries, mainly; each shaped like a thimble; the cap coming easily

mine d

ght of it on the top of the Delhi Blue Vase. It was dreadfully high, and a

rries out in the garden. I could hear them pattering into the tin pails with

tories being told. And I mounted on that. I had very nearly got the cap off when the buffet slipped sideways, an

ld. For I had heard it said that of all the valuable things in the house that was th

house. But now I should never see the uncle from India, nor the elephant being unpacked end-foremost out of the cattle truck, nor the crimson carpet, nor the howdah, nor any of these fine things. O

s just washed off. Then it is shiny and red; but now, in the dusk of the room, it

ce pussy, and if I said it was Mir-row who did it, nobody would be the worse. She was always knocking things down any

und out. When you do a thing and don't care whether you are found out or not-that is different. That's like Sir Toady (he's my brot

seemed as if I never could

nd often told that I ought. Still, you can't just always pray when you

o the place where the Delhi Vase had been broken, and asked her if she minded. And she said as plai

ily, seeing the number of tit-bits I had brought out for her. But cats have no gratitude-at least Mir-row had none. However, I think she must have

Mir-row, will you come

"Fsssst-Mir-row!" to s

should get off breaking that Delhi Vase. But I will take the blame on myself-yes

d always been so naughty that she tempted me to blame her for breaking it. If she had been a g

ir-row did it," to get believed. Because s

mebody. And Somebody listened, and then rose up looking quite grave, but very kind. Oh, I was shaking ever so, till Somebody took me in such nice strong arms, and said that as

ir-row, or how nearly it

the broken pieces of the vase, and when we went down was peacefully dreaming of catching m

t deserve all that

is a better policy than

emptation, and how I was saved