, Judy!" said Meg warningly; she knew too well what that
particular sparkle meant.

"Oh, I'm not going to hurt you, you dear old thing," said Miss Judy,
dancing down the room and bestowing a pat on her sister's fair head
as she passed. "It's only the General, who's after havin' a bit
o' fun."

She lifted him up out of the high chair, where he had been sitting
drumming on the table with a spoon and eating sugar in the
intervals.

"It's real action you're going for to see, General," she said,
dancing to the door with him.

"Oh, Judy, what are you going to do?" said Meg entreatingly.

"Ju-Ju!" crowed the General, leaping almost out of Judy's arms,
and scenting fun with the instinct of a veteran.

Down the passage they went, the other five behind to watch
proceedings. Judy sat down with him on the last step.

"Boy want chuck-chuck, pretty chuck-chuck?" she said insidiously.

"Chuck-chuck, chuck-a-chuck," he gurgled, looking all around
for his favourite friends.

"Dad got lots--all THIS many," said Judy, opening her arms very
wide to denote the number in her father's possession. "Boydie,
go get them!"

"Chuck-chuck," crowed the General delightedly, and struggling
to his feet--"find chuck-chuck."

"In there," whispered Judy, giving him a gentle push into the
half-open dining-room door; "ask Dad."

Right across the room the baby tottered on fat, unsteady little
legs.

"Are the children ALL possessed to-night, Esther?" said the
Captain, as his youngest-son clutched wildly at his leg and
tried to climb up it.

He looked down into the little dirty, dimpling face. "Well,
General, and to what do we owe the honour of your presence?"

"Chuck-chuck, chuck-a-chuck, chuck, chuck, chuck," said the
General, going down promptly upon all fours to seek for the
feathered darlings Judy had said were here.

But Esther gathered up the dear, dirty-faced young rascal and
bore him struggling out of the room. At the foot of the stairs
she nearly stumbled over the rest of the family.

"Oh, you scamps, you bad, wicked imps!" she said, reaching out
to box all their ears, and of course failing.

She sat down on the bottom stair to laugh for a second, then she
handed the General to Pip. "To-morrow," she said, standing up
and hastily smoothing the rich hair that the General's hands had
clutched gleefully--"to-morrow I shall beat every one of you
with the broomstick."

They watched the train of her yellow' silk dress disap