career.

"Such a dear, sweet boy," Lady Lisle often said to herself, as she
beamed upon him blandly with thirty-five-year-old eyes, and idolised
him, as she had no children of her own, and he was her own special
training.

"At it again," said the boy to himself, as he glanced at the lady
furtively; "more letters. Lady doctors, lady barristers. Blest if I
don't think she means to go in for a lady parson! More meetings to go
to, auntie dear?" he said aloud.

"Yes, my darling," replied the lady, with a sigh and another
affectionate beam upon the plump-looking darling intent upon the game
pie. "The calls made upon my time are rather heavy. By and by, when
you have grown up, I hope you will be able to help me."

"Why, of course I will, auntie. Didn't I want to write that answer for
you yesterday?"

"Um--er--yes, my dear; but we must wait a little first. Your writing is
not quite what I should like to see."

"No, auntie; it is a bit shaky yet. We don't go in for writing much at
Loamborough; we leave that to the Board School cads."

"And I should like you to be a little more careful over your spelling."

"Oh, Mullins, M.A., says that'll all come right, auntie, when we've
quite done with our classics."

"I hope so, my darling, and then you shall be my private secretary. I
did hope at one time that I should win over your uncle to a love for my
pursuits. But alas!"

"Don't seem in uncle's way much, auntie, but he means right, uncle does.
You wait till he's in the House--he'll make some of 'em sit up."

"I hope not, my dear child. I rather trust to his brother members
leading him into a better way."

"Ah, I don't think you ought to expect that, auntie," said the "dear
boy," using his serviette to remove the high-water mark of coffee from
an incipient moustache. "They go in for all-night sittings, you know."

"Yes, my dear, but only on emergencies, and for their country's good."

"Walker!" said the "dear boy," softly.

"I used to think at one time that I should be able to wean him from his
bad habit of lying in bed so late. If he would only follow your example
of getting up early enough for a long walk or ride before breakfast!"

"Nicest part of the day, auntie."

"Yes, my dear."

Lady Lisle sighed, and went on eating crumblets of dry toast and sipping
her tea, as she opened and examined a pile of letters, many of which had
a very charitable-institution-like look about them; and Sydney Smithers,