Lulu was too young and inexperienced in composition and penmanship to
make very rapid work of it.

Evelyn was taken into her confidence, Capt. Raymond's letter read to her,
then parts of the confession as it progressed from day to day, till she
had heard the whole.

"Do you think I have told papa everything I ought, Eva?" Lulu asked when
she had finished reading aloud the last page of her report.

"Yes; I can't see that you've kept back a single thing: I'm sure your
father is right in saying that you are open and honest as the day! And
Oh, Lulu! what a nice, good father he must be! I don't wonder his
children all love him so dearly, or that you and Max were so distressed
when that bad news came."

"No," Lulu said, hastily brushing away a tear, "but I am sure you must
wonder how I can ever be disobedient to such a dear father; and I often
wonder too, and just hate myself for it.

"Now my report is ready; I'm glad it's done; it seems an immense load off
my mind; but I must write a little note to go with it."

"Of course you must," said Evelyn; "and I'll run away and talk to Cousin
Molly while you do it."

She hastened from the room, and Lulu's pen was again set to work.

"My own dear, dear papa, I have your letter--such a nice, kind one to be
written to such a bad, disobedient girl: it came last Wednesday, and this
is Saturday; for though I did obey you about the report, by beginning at
once to write it, I had to make it so long that I couldn't finish it till
now.

"I have tried to tell 'the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth,' and Eva thinks I have succeeded.

"Papa, I am really and truly sorry for having been so disobedient and
obstinate; passionate, too; but I'm always being naughty and then sorry,
then naughty again.

"I don't see how you can keep on loving such a bad child; but oh, I'm so
glad you do! Though it makes me sorrier than ever, and oh, so ashamed! I
know I deserve punishment at your hands, and I have no doubt you would
inflict it if you were here. I'm afraid you will say I must be sent away
to a boarding-school; but oh, dear papa, please don't. I do intend to be
good, and not give any trouble to Grandpa Dinsmore or any of the rest. I
think I was the first part of the winter, and would have been all the
time if they hadn't forced me to take lessons of that horrid man.

"Papa, I've always thought you wouldn't have said I must go back to him
after he struck me. Would you? And do