from another direction with Boyne, and Ellen said,
"Poppa's gone to look for you."

"Has he?" asked Lottie, dropping decisively into her chair. "Well,
there's one thing; I won't call him poppa any more."

"What will you call him?" Boyne demanded, demurely.

"I'll call him father, it you want to know; and I'm going to call momma,
mother. I'm not going to have those English laughing at us, and I won't
say papa and mamma. Everybody that knows anything says father and mother
now."

Boyne kept looking from one sister to another during Lottie's
declaration, and, with his eyes on Ellen, he said, "It's true, Ellen.
All the Plumptons did." He was very serious.

Ellen smiled. "I'm too old to change. I'd rather seem queer in Europe
than when I get back to Tuskingum."

"You wouldn't be queer there a great while," said Lottie. "They'll all
be doing it in a week after I get home."

Upon the encouragement given him by Ellen, Boyne seized the chance
of being of the opposition. "Yes," he taunted Lottie, "and you think
they'll say woman and man, for lady and gentleman, I suppose."

"They will as soon as they know it's the thing."

"Well, I know I won't," said Boyne. "I won't call momma a woman."

"It doesn't matter what you do, Boyne dear," his sister serenely assured
him.

While he stood searching his mind for a suitable retort, a young man,
not apparently many years his senior, came round the corner of the
music-room, and put himself conspicuously in view at a distance from the
Kentons.

"There he is, now," said Boyne. "He wants to be introduced to Lottie."
He referred the question to Ellen, but Lottie answered for her.

"Then why don't you introduce him?"

"Well, I would if he was an American. But you can't tell about these
English." He resumed the dignity he had lost in making the explanation
to Lottie, and ignored her in turning again to Ellen. "What do you
think, Ellen?"

"Oh, don't know about such things, Boyne," she said, shrinking from the
responsibility.

"Well; upon my word!" cried Lottie. "If Ellen can talk by the hour
with that precious Mr. Breckon, and stay up here along with him, when
everybody else is down below sick, I don't think she can have a great
deal to say about a half-grown boy like that being introduced to me."

"He's as old as you are," said Boyne, hotly.

"Oh! I saw him associating with you, and I thought he was a boy, too.
Pardon me!" Lottie turned from giving Boyne his coup-de-grace,