found until morning,
and you know in what a state her mother would have been by that time.
I have a week yet before I must go back to teach, and I will get her
ready and take her back with me."

At first it seemed to Dr. Harper as if he could not possibly let his
only little daughter go away to boarding-school, even with her aunt,
but as he thought more about it, and talked it over with Aunt Emma, he
decided that it was the only thing to do with self-willed, mischievous
little Ruby, until her mother should be better again, and able to
control her.

The next thing to do was to secure her mother's consent, and Dr. Harper
said,--

"I am afraid it will take some time to persuade her that she can let
Ruby go away from her. She will miss her so much, and will worry lest
Ruby should be homesick."

He was very much surprised, when he suggested the plan, to hear her
say,--

"That is just what I have been thinking about myself. If I only knew
that she was being taken good care of, and could not get into any more
mischief, I would be willing to let her go, for I shall never have
another easy moment about her while I am too sick to take care of her
myself. I do not know what she will do next."

That was just the trouble. Nobody ever knew what Ruby was going to do
next, and as she generally got into mischief first, and then did her
thinking about it afterwards, one might be pretty sure that she would
carry out any plan that came into her head, whatever its consequences
might be.

Dr. Harper was seriously displeased with his little daughter, and he
determined to give her ample time to think over her naughty conduct; so
after he had eaten his breakfast, and done all that he could for the
invalid, he went out to visit his patients, leaving her shut up in her
room, where she could not get into any more mischief for a few hours at
any rate.

Ruby had dressed herself and eaten her breakfast, feeling very lonely
and penitent, and then she expected that her papa would come and let
her out. She wanted to go in to her mamma's room and tell her how
sorry she was that she had worried her so the night before; but the
minutes went by, and still her father did not come, and when at last
Ruby heard his buggy wheels going past the house, she knew that he
meant to leave her by herself until he should come back.

It seemed a long, long time to Ruby, though it was only two hours
really, and she had time to think of all that had happe