egin my lessons.'

'Lessons! Never you mind rubbishy old lesson-books, Queenie! I don't
mean to, never again!'

'Has you learnt up everything then, Alick?' asked the child, gazing
respectfully at her brother, with all the wondering admiration one
often sees in little girls for big brothers.

'What has that got to do with it?' roughly answered the boy. He was in
that volcanic condition of mind that every word spoken was as a match,
and set up a blaze of ill-temper. 'Give me over that one-legged doll,
and I'll "fix" her up, as the Yankees say. Hand her ladyship over.'
Alick Carnegy had one tender spot in his heart. Most of us have. And
that in Alick was occupied by Queenie. He was passionately fond of the
innocent-faced, round-eyed little sister, and he was always ready to
mend her sick and damaged properties.

'That's poor Miss Muffet. She felled out of my arms on the beach, and
Splutters and Shutters worried her, Alick, before I could pull her
away. Ah, it was dreadful!' chattered Queenie.

'You shouldn't pull things away from dogs. Never, never do such a
thing. Do you understand, Queenie? They might snap, you know, and
then where would you be?'

Down on the floor Alick sat himself, and fell to work to repair as best
he could the interesting cripple. But Queenie, eager enough though she
was to watch the surgical operation, had a conscience hidden away in
her small person, as her restlessness showed.

'I mustn't stay, Alick. I mus' go! Theo will be waiting, for the hall
clock has struck. I counted 'leven strokes just now!'

Away to her lessons bustled the little maid, and Alick, unhappy, sullen
and forlorn, was left to himself in the play-room. The boy was
distinctly most miserable. Indeed, he could not be otherwise; it is
unnatural for the young to be in a state of rebellion against those set
in authority over them. They suffer hotly for it, with the measureless
capacity for suffering belonging to the young.

In spite of his wretchedness, Alick was, however, fully determined to
go bird-hunting on the morrow in Brattlesby Woods with Jerry Blunt.
Equally determined was the boy also that he would never beg his tutor's
pardon--if he could possibly help it, that was. Alick knew that if his
continued insubordination came to his father's ears the certain result
would be a thrashing, similar to one of which he still had a most vivid
recollection. It occurred on the only occasion that the captain