e than a bleeding nose next time, I
promise you."

"You'll hear more of this! You'll hear more of this! You fierce, wild,
touch-me-not thing," he roared.

"Yes; my motto with men is touch-me-not, and it is your own fault if I'm
fierce. If children attempt to act the role of a man with adult tools,
they are sure to cut themselves. Hold hard a bit, honey, till your
whiskers grow," I retorted as I departed, taking flying leaps over the
blossom-burdened flower-beds.

At tea that night, after gazing interestedly at Mr Hawden's nose for some
time, uncle Julius inquired, "in the name of all that's mysterious, what
the devil have you been doing to your nose? You look as though you had
been on the spree."

I was quaking lest he would get me into a fine scrape, but he only
muttered, "By Jove!" with great energy, and glowered menacingly across
the table at me.

After tea he requested an interview with grannie, which aroused my
curiosity greatly. I was destined to hear all about it next morning. When
breakfast was over grannie called me into her room and interviewed me
about Mr Hawden's interview. She began without any preliminaries:

"Mr Hawden has complained of your conduct. It grieves me that any young
man should have to speak to me of the behaviour of my own grand-daughter.
He says you have been flirting with him. Sybylla, I scarcely thought you
would be so immodest and unwomanly."

On hearing this my thoughts of Frank Hawden were the reverse of
flattering. He had persecuted me beyond measure, yet I had not deigned to
complain of him to either uncle, grannie, or auntie, as I might
reasonably have done, and have obtained immediate redress. He had been
the one to blame in the case, yet for the rebuffs he had brought upon
himself, went tattling to my grandmother.

Is that all you have to say, grannie?"

"No. He wants to marry you, and has asked my consent. I told him it all
rested with yourself and parents. What do you say?"

"Say," I exclaimed, "grannie, you are only joking, are you not?"

"No, my child, this is not a matter to joke about."

"Marry that creature! A boy!" I uttered in consternation.

"He is no boy. He has attained his majority some months. He is as old as
your grandfather was when we married. In three years you will be almost
twenty, and by that time he will be in possession of his property which
is very good--in fact, he will be quite rich. If you care for him there is
nothing against him as I can