. Though its bright eyes
proved its high spirit, it was nevertheless as gentle as a lamb, and
well accustomed to carrying a lady. Its owner, a local horse-dealer,
was anxious to sell it, and pressed Major Fitzgerald to take it as a
bargain. Honor simply fell in love with it on the spot. She ascertained
that its name was Firefly, and begged and besought her father to buy it
for her. But on this occasion he would not yield, even to her utmost
coaxing. He did not wish to keep another pony in the stable, and he
considered the price asked was excessive, and entirely beyond the
present limits of his purse.

"No, Honor, it can't be done," he said. "You must be content with poor
old Pixie. I have quite enough expenses just now, without running into
such an extravagance."

"But couldn't I have it instead of something else?" pleaded Honor.

"There's nothing we could knock off, dear child," replied her father.

"I could do without a governess," suggested Honor hopefully. "I'd set
myself my own lessons, and learn them too. Oh, Daddy, darling, if we
gave up Miss Bury, wouldn't you have money enough to buy Firefly?"

Major Fitzgerald laughed in spite of himself.

"I consider Miss Bury a necessity, and not a luxury," he replied. "A
governess is the very last person we could dispense with. I should like
to see you setting your own lessons! Remarkably short and easy ones
they would be! No, little woman, I'm afraid Firefly is an
impossibility, and you must just try to forget his existence."

Unfortunately, that was exactly what Honor could not do. She thought
continually about the beautiful black cob, and the more she dwelt on
her disappointment the more keenly she felt it. She considered, most
unreasonably, that her governess was the alternative of the pony, and
that if she were without the one she might possibly acquire the other.
Her behaviour had never been exemplary, but on the strength of this
grievance she grew so unruly, so disrespectful, and so absolutely
unmanageable that Miss Bury at length refused to teach her any longer,
and, after an interview with Major Fitzgerald in the library, packed
her boxes and returned home to England.

Honor viewed her exodus with keen delight. It seemed the removal of an
obstacle to her plan. She went in to luncheon determined to broach once
more the subject of Firefly, hoping this time to meet with better
success. She saw at once, however, from her father's face, that he was
not in a sui