other, in acknowledgment of his greeting and
wagging tail. Then I saw that he was hurt. Indeed, I fancied tears
were in his eyes as he said,

"So poor Papa and home are too dull--too quiet, eh, Regie? And yet
Papa does all he can for his boy."

My fit of ill-temper was gone in a moment, and I flung my arms round
my father's neck--Rubens taking flying leaps to join in the embrace,
after a fashion common with dogs, and decidedly dangerous to eyes,
nose, and ears. And as I kissed my father, and was kissed by Rubens,
I gave a candid account of my expedition. "No, dear papa. It wasn't
that. Only Nurse said country places were quiet, and in towns people
dropped in, and passed time, and changed the weather, and if she was
in Oakford she would drop in and see her sister. And so I said it
would be very nice. And so I thought this morning that Rubens and I
would drop in and see Mr. Andrewes. And so we did; and we didn't tell
because we wanted to come alone, for fun."

With this explanation the fullest harmony was restored; and my father
sat down whilst Mr. Andrewes and I finished our luncheon and Rubens
had his. I gave an account of the garden in terms glowing enough to
satisfy the pride of the warmest horticulturist, and my father
promised a new rake, and drank a glass of sherry to the success of my
"gardening without a gardener."

But as we were going away I overheard him saying to Mr. Andrewes,

"All the same, a boy can't be with a nurse for ever. She has every
good quality, except good English. And he is not a baby now. One
forgets how time passes. I must see about a tutor."

CHAPTER XV

NURSE BUNDLE IS MAGNANIMOUS--MR. GRAY--AN EXPLANATION WITH MY FATHER

Naturally enough, I did my best to give Nurse Bundle a faithful
account of my attempt to realize her idea of "dropping in," with all
that came of it. My garden projects, the arrival of my father, and all
that he said and did on the occasion. From my childish and confused
account, I fancy that Nurse Bundle made out pretty correctly the state
of the case. Being a "grown-up person," she probably guessed, without
difficulty, the meaning of my father's concluding remarks. I think a
good, faithful, tender-hearted nurse, such as she was, must suffer
with some of a mother's feelings, when it is first decided that "her
boy" is beyond petticoat government. Nurse Bundle cried so bitterly
over this matter, that my most chivalrous feelings were roused, and I
vowed tha