ng countenance. "He has been awake for some time, and as he does
not know how to amuse himself he may perhaps be doing some mischief,"
she continued. "He misses his ayah, his native nurse, who declined
accompanying us farther than Alexandria, so you must be prepared to find
him a little troublesome, but I hope he will improve."

"Oh, I shall be delighted, mamma, to help Norman, and I daresay I shall
have nothing to complain of," answered Fanny, and without waiting to put
on her frock she accompanied her mamma to the door of Norman's room.

"You will be a good boy, and let Fanny help you dress, my dear," said
Mrs Vallery, putting in her head.

Fanny entered as her mamma withdrew, and having kissed Norman, arranged
his clothes in readiness to put them on. She then poured out some water
for him to wash his face.

"Shall I help you?" she asked, getting a towel ready.

"No, I can do it myself," he answered, snatching the towel from her
hand. "I don't like to have my nose rubbed up the wrong way, and my
eyes filled with soapsuds. I can wash my face as much as it wants. It
isn't dirty, I should think," and dipping a corner of the towel in the
water he began to dab himself all over with it cautiously as if he was
afraid of rubbing off his skin.

"There, that will do," he said, drying himself much in the same fashion.
"I am ready to put on my clothes."

"But you have not washed your neck or shoulders at all," said Fanny,
"and if you will let me, and bend down your head over the basin, I will
pour the water upon it and give you a pleasant shower-bath this warm
morning."

"I have washed enough, and do not intend to wash any more," answered
Norman in a determined tone. "Where is my vest?"

Fanny, seeing that it would be useless to contend further on that point,
assisted him to dress, and buttoned or tied the clothes which required
buttoning or tying. When, however, she brought him his stockings, he
took it into his head that he would not put them on.

"I can do very well without them," he exclaimed, throwing himself into
an arm-chair.

"There, you stand by my side, and wait till I want you to help me, just
as my ayah used to do--the wicked old thing would not come on with us
because I one day spit at her and called her a name she did not like. I
can talk Hindostanee as well as English, I suppose you can't," and
Master Norman uttered some words which sounded in Fanny's ears very much
like gibberish.

She wait