ned, and all
that might have happened before her papa came back.

Ruby heard him drive around to the stable, and she knew just about how
long it would take him to walk up to the house. Presently she heard
his step upon the porch, and then he came upstairs, and went first into
her mother's room, to see how she was, and then after a few minutes he
came out, and Ruby heard him coming towards her room. The moment he
opened the door she ran and threw herself into his arms.

"I am so sorry; indeed I am sorry, papa," she cried, bursting into
tears.

Her father sat down, and took her up on his knee.

"And you have made us all very sorry, Ruby," he answered. "Your mother
is very much worse, because she had such a fright last night. Just
think what it was when we thought you were safely asleep for the night
to find that you had disappeared, without any one knowing where you had
gone. I drove over to Ruthy's to look for you; and I do not know what
I should have done if I had not seen the fire, and found you in the
yard. I should not have had the least idea where to look for you; and
I do not think you can realize what serious consequences your
naughtiness might have had. And they might have been very dangerous
ones to yourself too. If your clothes had taken fire, as they
easily might have done, I cannot bear to think what would have happened
to my little daughter."

Ruby cried on, with her face hidden in her father's shoulder.

"Oh, I am so sorry. You can do anything you like to me, papa; indeed,
you can," she sobbed. "Perhaps you don't b'lieve how sorry I am, but I
never was more sorry for anything; never, never."

"I know you are sorry, Ruby," said her father. "You are always sorry
after you have done wrong; but that does not seem to keep you from
getting into the next piece of mischief that comes into your head. I
cannot let you go on in this way any longer. For your mother's sake,
if not your own, I must put a stop to it, or she will never have a
chance to get well. I am going to send you away to boarding-school
with your Aunt Emma."

"Oh, papa, papa, don't do that! please don't!" exclaimed Ruby, clinging
to him. "I don't want to go away from you and mamma. I don't! oh, I
don't! Please let me stay home, and you can keep me shut up in this
one single room all the time, and I won't say one word; truly, I won't;
but do let me stay with you and mamma. I will be so good."

"You think you will now, Ru