ell,' and all that sort of thing."

"I don't believe you can, indeed," says Roger, indignantly.

"Don't you?" says Dulce.

"My dear Roger, if you eat any more sugar, you will ruin your teeth,"
says Julia. Roger, who has the sugar bowl near him, and is helping
himself from it generously, laughs a little. Julia is a person who, if
you wore a smoking cap even once in your life, would tell you it would
make you bald; or if you went out without a veil, you would have
freckles for the rest of your life--and so on.

"_Don't_ eat any more," says Julia, imploringly; "you can't like that
nasty white stuff."

"Oh! doesn't he?" says Dulce, sarcastically. "He'd eat anything sweet.
It isn't three days ago since he stole all my chocolate creams, and ate
them every one."

"I did not," says Roger.

"Yes, he did," declares Dulce, ignoring Roger, and addressing herself
solely to Julia. "He did, indeed, and _denied_ it afterwards, which just
shows what he is capable of."

"I repeat that I did not," says Roger, indignantly. "I found them
certainly in your room up-stairs--your sitting-room--but I gave them to
the Boodie."

"Oh! _say_ so," says Miss Blount, ironically.

"Chocolate creams!" says the small Boodie, emerging from an obscure and
unexpected corner. "What about them? Where are they? Have you any,
mamma?"

"_You_ ought to know where they are," says Dare, flushing; "you ate
them."

"When?" asks the Boodie, in a searching tone.

"Yes, indeed, _when_?" repeats Dulce, unpleasantly.

"You remember the day Roger gave you some, don't you, darling?" says the
darling's mamma, with the kindly intention of soothing matters.

"No, I don't," says the uncompromising Boodie, her blue eyes wide, and
her red lips apart.

"Do you mean to tell me I didn't give you a whole box full the day
before yesterday?" exclaims Mr. Dare, wrathfully, going up to the stolid
child, and looking as if he would like to shake her.

"Day before yesterday?" murmurs the Boodie, with a glance so far from
the present moment that it might be in Kamtschatka.

"Yes, exactly, _the day before yesterday_!" says Roger, furiously.

"How could I remember about that?" says the Boodie, most nonchalantly.

"Oh, don't scold the poor child," says Dulce, mildly, "she won't like
it; and I am sure she is not in fault. Go away, Boodie, Roger doesn't
like being shown up."

"Shown up! Upon my _life_ I gave her those vile bon-bons," says Mr.
Dare, distractedly, "If I w