d them from the house-maid, and if my sister Flora
came in here, I should be annihilated.'

'Of course one expects that in women.'

'Oh, Richard would be as much distracted! It is a provision of Nature
that there should be some tidy ones, or what would the world come to?'

'It would be a great deal less of a bore.'

'Not at all; we should stifle ourselves at last if we had our own way.
Never mind, Leonard, we make them go through quite as much as they make
us.'

'I am sure I hope so.'

'No, no, Leonard,' she said, becoming less playful, 'we must not do it
on purpose. Even unconsciously, we plague the spirits of order quite
enough, and they have the right on their side after all.'

'I think a lady is the person to say what one may do or not in the
drawing-room; don't you?' said Leonard.

'That depends.'

'And you let your brother spread his things all over yours!'

'So I do; but I would not if papa minded it, or even if this were
Richard's house, and he did not like it. Don't begin with worries
about trifles, pray, Leonard.'

'It is not I that care about trifles,' returned the boy. 'How was one
to reckon on a man setting up a monomania about dogs' paws in the hall?'

'I have feared we were rather foolish; I ought to have reminded you to
ask whether Mab would be welcome.'

'I was not going to ask leave, I have no one whose leave to ask,' said
Leonard, in tones at first proud, then sad.

'That's a bad beginning,' returned Ethel. 'As master of the house,
your brother has a right to your compliance, and if you do not all give
way to each other, you will have nothing but dissension and misery.'

'All to each other; yes, that is fair.'

'He must have given way to you in letting you keep the dog at all in
the house' said Ethel. 'It is a real instance of kindness, and you are
bound to let her be as little in his way as possible.'

'He does mean well, I suppose,' said Leonard; 'but he is an awful
bother, and poor Ave gets the worst of it. One has no patience with
finikin ways in a man.'

'There's no telling how much I owe to my finikin brother Richard,' said
Ethel; 'and if you teach Ave to be loyal to the head of your family,
you will do her as much good as you will do harm by chafing against his
ordinances.'

'Don't you hate such nonsense, Miss May?'

'I can't love order as much as I honour it. Set tastes aside. The
point is, that if you are to hold together, Leonard, it must be by
bearing and