's
"elder sister," is, therefore, entitled to a certain measure of respect.
All those small things tend to the discipline of the Elf, who is very
small for her age, and who would have preferred a junior, of a meek and
mild disposition, and whose constant prayer is this: "O Lord, bring
another little girl out of the lion's mouth, but, O Lord, please let her
be a _very little girl_!" Shortly after this prayer began, a very little
girl was brought; but she was a vulgar infant, and greatly tried the
Elf, and she was, for various reasons, promptly returned to her parents.
After this episode the prayer varied somewhat: "Lord, let her be a
_suitable_ child, and give me grace to love her from my heart when she
comes."

The conversation of these young creatures is often very illuminating,
and always most miscellaneous. The Elf's mind especially is a sort of
small curiosity shop, and displays many assortments. The Elf, Tangles,
and little Delight (Delight is a youthful Christian) are curled up on
the warm red sand with their three little heads close together. The Elf
is telling a story. I listen, and hear a marvellous muddle of the
_Uganda Boys_ and _Cyril of North Africa_. "He was only six years old,
and he stood up and said, 'What you are going to do, do quickly! I am
not afraid. I am going to the Golden City!' And they showed him the
sword and the fire, and he said, 'Do it quickly!' and they chopped off
his arm, and said, 'Will you deny Jesus?' and he said, 'No!' and they
chopped off his other arm,"--and so on through all the various limbs in
most vivid detail,--"and then they threw him on the fire, and burnt him
till he was ashes; and he sang praises to Jesus!"

The Elf leans to the tragic. Tangles' mother had a difference of opinion
with a friend. The friend snatched at her opponent's ear jewels, and
tore the ear. Life with a torn ear was intolerable, so Tangles' mother
walked three times round the well, repeated three times, "My blood be on
your head!" and sprang in. She rose three times, each time said the same
words, and then sank. All this Tangles confided to the Elf, who
concocted a game based upon the incident--which, however, we ruthlessly
squashed. They are tossing pebbles now, according to rules of their own,
and talking vigorously. "The Ammal told me all the people in England are
white, and I asked her what they did without servants, and she said they
had white servants, _white servants_!!" and the note of exclama