sterday I heard you talking to him. I think you called him his
nunkey's ickle petsy wetsy lambkin."

"You misunderstood me," said Simpson quickly. "I was talking to _you_."

"Oh!" I said, rather taken aback. "Well--well, I'm not." I lit a cigar.
"And I shall be annoyed if you call me so again."

"At the age of four," Simpson went on, "he shall receive his first
lesson in cricket. Thomas will bowl to him----"

"I suppose that means that Thomas will have to be asked down here
again," said Archie. "Bother! Still, it's not for four years."

"Thomas will bowl to him, Archie will keep wicket, and I shall field."

"And where do I come in?" I asked.

"You come in after Peter. Unless you would rather have your lesson
first."

"That's the second time I've been sat on," I said to Myra, "Why is
Simpson so unkind to me to-night?"

"I suppose he's jealous because you're staying on another week."

"Probably; still, I don't like it. Could you turn your back on him, do
you think, to indicate our heavy displeasure?"

Myra moved her chair round and rested her elbow on the table.

"Go on, Samuel," said Dahlia. "You're lovely to-night. I suppose these
are Thomas's ideas as well as your own?"

"His signature is duly appended to them."

"I didn't read 'em all," said Thomas.

"That's very rash of you," said Archie. "You don't know what you
mightn't let yourself in for. You may have promised to pay the child
threepence a week pocket-money."

"No, there's nothing like that," said Simpson, to Archie's evident
disappointment. "Well, then, at the age of ten he goes to a preparatory
school."

"Has he learnt to read yet?" asked Dahlia. "I didn't hear anything about
it."

"He can read at six. I forgot to say that I am giving him a book which I
shall expect him to read aloud to Thomas and me on his sixth birthday."

"Thomas has got _another_ invitation," said Archie. "Dash it!"

"At fourteen he goes to a public school. The final decision as to which
public school he goes to will be left to you, but, of course, we shall
expect to be consulted on the subject."

"I'll write and tell you what we decide on," said Archie hastily;
"there'll be no need for you to come down and be told aloud."

"So far we have not arranged anything for him beyond the age of
fourteen. I now propose to read out a few general rules about his
upbringing which we must insist on being observed."

"The great question whether Simpson is kicked out of the hou