een satisfactory. But Miss Jessamine feared it would be
impossible in practice, and she had scruples about it on principle. It
would not seem quite truthful, although she had always most fully
intended that he should be called Theodore when he had outgrown the
ridiculous appropriateness of his nickname. The fact was that he had
not outgrown it, but he must take care to remember who was meant when
his grandfather said Theodore.

Indeed for that matter he must take care all along.

"You are apt to be giddy, Jackanapes," said Miss Jessamine.

"Yes aunt," said Jackanapes, thinking of the hobby-horses.

"You are a good boy, Jackanapes. Thank GOD, I can tell your
grandfather that. An obedient boy, an honorable boy, and a
kind-hearted boy. But you are--in short, you _are_ a Boy, Jackanapes.
And I hope,"--added Miss Jessamine, desperate with the results of
experience--"that the General knows that Boys will be Boys."

What mischief could be foreseen, Jackanapes promised to guard against.
He was to keep his clothes and his hands clean, to look over his
catechism, not to put sticky things in his pockets, to keep that hair
of his smooth--("It's the wind that blows it, Aunty," said
Jackanapes--"I'll send by the coach for some bear's-grease," said Miss
Jessamine, tying a knot in her pocket-handkerchief)--not to burst in
at the parlor door, not to talk at the top of his voice, not to
crumple his Sunday frill, and to sit quite quiet during the sermon, to
be sure to say "sir" to the General, to be careful about rubbing his
shoes on the doormat, and to bring his lesson-books to his aunt at
once that she might iron down the dogs' ears. The General arrived, and
for the first day all went well, except that Jackanapes' hair was as
wild as usual, for the hair-dresser had no bear's-grease left. He
began to feel more at ease with his grandfather, and disposed to talk
confidentially with him, as he did with the Postman. All that the
General felt it would take too long to tell, but the result was the
same. He was disposed to talk confidentially with Jackanapes.

[Illustration]

"Mons'ous pretty place this," he said, looking out of the lattice on
to the Green, where the grass was vivid with sunset, and the shadows
were long and peaceful.

"You should see it in Fair-week, sir," said Jackanapes, shaking his
yellow mop, and leaning back in his one of the two Chippendale
arm-chairs in which they sat.

"A fine time that, eh?" said the Genera