e. But this
divided attention did not please her; she stuck out two little straight
brown legs and said reflectively:

"Dickie got no yed boots."

"No, no," said the vicar with his eyes on his sermon; "Dickie's got
pretty black boots."

"Andoo's 'ittle gal got yed boots," pursued Dickie.

"Andrew's little girl! Andrew hasn't got a little girl," said her
father.

For answer Dickie pursed-up her lips, looked up in his face, and began
to nod very often and very quickly.

"Where is she, then?" asked the vicar.

Dickie stopped nodding, and, imitating Andrew as well as she could,
shook her head mournfully, spread out her hands, and said:

"Lost! lost!"

"You funny little thing!" said the vicar, laying down his pen and
looking at her. "I wonder what you've got into your head. Wouldn't
Dickie like to run upstairs now?"

But she only swung herself backwards and forwards on his knee and
repeated very fast, as if she were saying a lesson:

"Please, father, take Dickie to see gee-gees."

There was evidently no chance of getting rid of her unless this question
were answered, and the sermon must really be finished. The vicar looked
gravely at her and spoke slowly and impressively:

"If Dickie is a good little girl, and will go upstairs to the nursery
directly, and _stay there_, father will ask if she may go and see the
gee-gees."

Dickie got down and trotted away obediently, for she thought she had
gained her point; but alas later on, when mother was appealed to, she
was still quite firm on the subject--Dickie must _not_ go to the circus.
The four other children were enough for Miss Grey to take care of, and
Nurse could not be spared--Dickie must stay at home and be a good little
girl.

Stay at home she must, as they were all against her; but to be a good
little girl was quite another thing, and I am sorry to say it was very
far from her intention. If she were not taken to the circus she would
be as naughty a little girl as she possibly could. So when she had seen
the others go off, all merry and excited, leaving her in the dull
nursery, she threw herself flat on her face, drummed with her feet on
the floor, and screamed. At every fresh effort which Nurse made to
soothe her the screams became louder and the feet beat more fiercely,
and at last the baby began to cry too for sympathy.

Dickie was certainly in one of her "tantrums," and Nurse knew by
experience that solitude was the only cure, so after a wh