iend," while Nancy thought
that this would be interesting: "Dorothy will have a party," but
Reginald felt sure that he had thought of the smartest sentence, and
his face beamed with delight when he was told that he might write it.

He glanced toward Arabella as he strutted to the blackboard, and boldly
he wrote:

"Phido has a new collar."

It was funny, and Reginald wondered why even Aunt Charlotte looked
amused. Every one knew Fido, and only that morning the little dog had
followed Reginald and Katie half-way to school, the bell on his new
collar tinkling all the way.

That Reginald should have spelled the name "_Phido_" made them laugh,
but Arabella was not contented with laughing; she fairly shouted.

"Well, I don't care if you do laugh," he said, his eyes blazing as he
looked at her; "you spell photo, just _p-h-o_, and why can't Fido be
spelt _P-h-i_?"

When the room was again quiet Aunt Charlotte told Reginald and Arabella
to remain for a few moments after school.

When the other pupils had gone, Aunt Charlotte turned toward the two who
still kept their seats, and very gently she told Arabella how rude it
was to laugh at another's error, and how equally rude for Reginald to
reply in so saucy a manner.

"A little girl should be a little lady," she said, "and a small boy
should surely be a little gentleman."

Then Reginald spoke.

Looking straight into Arabella's eyes, he said:

"I guess I'm a gentleman, so I'll 'pol'gize; if I was just a boy I
_wouldn't_, though." Arabella was fully equal to a reply.

"I'm as much a lady as you are a gentleman, so I'll say I oughtn't to
have laughed, but I _won't_ say I'm sorry."

It was late afternoon, and Flossie, on the piazza, waved her hand to her
playmates as they ran down the walk to the gate.

They had played delightful games, they had talked of the fine party
which they would soon enjoy, they had guessed and guessed what sort of
party it was to be, and Dorothy, who knew all about it, had laughed
merrily because their countless guesses were nowhere near right.

"I wish playmates didn't ever have to go home," said Flossie, as she ran
into the house.

There was no one in the hall save the baby, who sat in her carriage. The
maid had just brought her in from a long ride, and had left her for a
moment while she chatted with the butler and the cook. Flossie loved the
baby, and she ran to the carriage to kiss the sunny little face that
smiled at her.

"Oh, yo