ing to her, only made her worse. "Dear, dear papa,"
she exclaimed, "how kind he is! But he can never depend upon me again--I
have been the ruin of my poor little Tom."

"Well," said Richard quietly, "I can't see why you should put yourself
into such a state about it."

This took Margaret by surprise. "Have not I done very wrong, and perhaps
hurt Tom for life?"

"I hope not," said Richard. "You and I made a mistake, but it does not
follow that Tom would have kept out of this scrape, if we had told my
father our notion."

"It would not have been on my conscience," said Margaret--"he would not
have sent him to school."

"I don't know that," said Richard. "At any rate we meant to do right,
and only made a mistake. It was unfortunate, but I can't tell why you go
and make yourself ill, by fancying it worse than it is. The boy has
done very wrong, but people get cured of such things in time, and it is
nonsense to fret as if he were not a mere child of eight years old. You
did not teach him deceit."

"No, but I concealed it--papa is disappointed, when he thought he could
trust me."

"Well! I suppose no one could expect never to make mistakes," said
Richard, in his sober tone.

"Self-sufficiency!" exclaimed Margaret, "that has been the root of all!
Do you know, Ritchie, I believe I was expecting that I could always
judge rightly."

"You generally do," said Richard; "no one else could do half what you
do."

"So you have said, papa, and all of you, till you have spoilt me. I have
thought it myself, Ritchie."

"It is true," said Richard.

"But then," said Margaret, "I have grown to think much of it, and not
like to be interfered with. I thought I could manage by myself, and when
I said I would not worry papa, it was half because I liked the doing
and settling all about the children myself. Oh! if it could have been
visited in any way but by poor Tom's faults!"

"Well," said Richard, "if you felt so, it was a pity, though I never
should have guessed it. But you see you will never feel so again, and as
Tom is only one, and there are nine to govern, it is all for the best."

His deliberate common-sense made her laugh a little, and she owned he
might be right. "It is a good lesson against my love of being first. But
indeed it is difficult--papa can so little bear to be harassed."

"He could not at first, but now he is strong and well, it is different."

"He looks terribly thin and worn still," sighed Margaret, "so