much with father,
anyway, and he likes to be made a fuss of, because he's so quiet
himself. Isn't it funny how people are like that! You'd think they'd
like you to be prim and quiet too, but they don't a bit, and the more
you plague them the better they're pleased.

"Back again, my girl, are you? A finished young lady, eh?" said father,
flicking his whip.

"Very glad of it, I can tell you. I'm getting old, and need someone to
look after me a bit." He looked me up and down, with a sort of anxious
look, as if he wanted to see if I were changed. "We had good times
together when you were a youngster and used to trot round with me every
morning to see the dogs and the horses, but I suppose you won't care for
that sort of thing now. It will be all dresses and running about from
one excitement to another. You won't care for tramping about in thick
boots with the old father!"

I laughed, and pinched him in his arm. "Don't fish! You know very well
I'll like it better than anything else. Of course, I shall like pretty
dresses too, and as much fun as I can get, but I don't think I shall
ever grow up properly, father--enough to walk instead of run, and smile
sweetly instead of shrieking with laughter as we do at school. It will
be a delightful way of letting off steam to go off with you for some
long country rambles, and have some of our nice old talks."

He turned and stared at me quite hard, and for a long time. He has such
a lot of wrinkles round his eyes, and they look so tired. I never
noticed it before. He looked sort of sad, and as if he wanted
something. I wonder if he has been lonely while I was away. Poor old
dad! I'll be a perfect angel to him. I'll never neglect him for my own
amusement like Resolution number one! Sentence can't be finished.

"How old are you, child?" father said at last, turning away with a sigh
and flicking Firefly gently with the whip, and I sat up straight and
said proudly--

"Nearly nineteen. I begged to stay on another half year, you know,
because of the exam, but I failed again in that hateful arithmetic: I'm
a perfect dunce over figures, father; I hope you don't mind. I can sing
very well; my voice was better than any of the other girls, and that
will give you more pleasure than if I could do all the sums in the
world. They tried to teach me algebra, too. Such a joke; I once got an
equation right. The teacher nearly had a fit. It was the most awful
fluke."

"I