was a
shadow cast on Fanny's shoulder, and thus no one said anything on the
subject.

Norman congratulated himself when he and Fanny went up to bed, that his
violent act had escaped detection. Susan, however, who had undertaken
to put him to bed, asked him how he had dared to strike his sister in
the way he had done.

"I did not strike her, she held my arms and pinched me too much for
that."

"What do you call throwing a bat at her and hitting her with it, then?"
asked Susan.

"If you ask me questions I will strike you, you tiresome thing,"
exclaimed Norman, tearing off his clothes as fast as he could, in the
hopes of getting Susan quickly out of the room.

"You had better not, young gentleman," said Susan; "your grandmamma does
not allow anybody to be struck in this house, and I should hold you a
good deal tighter than your sister did."

Norman never dared to answer Susan when she spoke in that tone of voice,
and so he held his tongue till she had washed him and put him into bed,
when his mamma came upstairs to hear him say his prayers. I am afraid
that Norman merely uttered the words, for his heart was certainly not
right towards God, nor did he even feel sorry for what he had done.

The next day, when Mrs Norton arrived, Norman saw that she had
something wrapped up in her shawl. As she unfolded it, there was Miss
Lucy, with a high dress, and frill round her neck.

"Oh, thank you! thank you! dear Mrs Norton," exclaimed Fanny, kissing
her, "how very kind of you, and such a pretty dress! She really looks
as nice as ever, and I am sure I shall soon forget what a dreadful
accident happened to her," and she cast a forgiving, affectionate look
at Norman. He did not return it, but eyed Miss Lucy askance, muttering,
"My ball is not mended."

Mrs Norton did not hear him, and Fanny hoped her ears had deceived her.

"My dear, why do you not lean on your left arm, as I have told you,"
said Mrs Norton when Fanny was taking her writing lesson.

"My shoulder hurts me," answered Fanny, "and, if you will excuse me, I
will try and write without doing so."

"There, now, she is going to tell her governess I threw the bat at her,"
thought Norman.

Fanny particularly wished to avoid giving any reason why her shoulder
hurt her, and when Mrs Norton asked what was the matter with her arm,
she replied, that it was nothing very serious, she was sure, and hoped
that it would soon be well.

Mrs Norton seeing that she did n