* * * * *

GOING BACK.

“In these days,” I began, but Francesca interrupted me.

“When anyone starts like that,” she said, “I know he’s going to make the War an excuse for doing something rather more paltry than usual.”

“‘Paltry’ is not,” I said, “a very nice word.”

“I’ll take the phrase back and substitute ’rather less noble and generous.’”

“Yes, I like that better.  I’ll pass it in that form as your comment on what you haven’t yet allowed me to say.”

“Quick,” she said; “what was it?  Don’t leave me in suspense.”

“In these days,” I said, “one mustn’t spend too much on railway companies.”

“True,” she said.  “I’m with you there in these or any other days.”

“And therefore,” I continued, “it will be quite enough if one of us accompanies Frederick, our lively ten-year-old, to begin his second term at school.  There is no necessity whatever for both of us to go with him.”

“Hear, hear!” said Francesca; “your idea is better than I thought.  I will go with Frederick and you can stay at home and look after the girls.”

“No,” I said firmly, “I will take Frederick, and you must remain behind and keep an eye on Muriel, Nina and Alice.”

“No,” she said.

“Yes,” I said; “my eye’s not good enough for the job; it hasn’t been trained for it.  I should be sure to mislay one of the girls, and then you’d never forgive yourself for having put upon me a burden greater than I could bear.  Besides,” I added, “goings back to school are in the man’s department, with football, cricket, boxing and things of that kind.”

“And what,” she said scornfully, “are you graciously pleased to leave in my department?”

“Oh, I thought you knew.  I leave to you table-manners, tidiness (that’s a tough one), hand-washing (that’s a tougher), reading aloud from Kipling and tucking him up in bed.”

“Quite a good list, if by no means a complete one; but in these days one mustn’t be too critical.  Anyhow it proves that I must take the boy back to school.”

“It proves just the contrary.”

“No,” she said, “it proves what ought to be there by leaving it out.”

“That,” I said, “is a record even for you, Francesca.”

“Well, it’s logical anyway.  How, for instance, could you talk to the Matron?  You’d be utterly lost before you’d been at it for half a minute.”

“Don’t you worry about that,” I said.  “I have accomplishments of which you don’t seem to be aware, and one of them is talking to Matrons at preparatory schools.”

“Anyhow, you’re not going to have a chance of showing it off this time, because I am going to take the boy back to school.  That’s final.”

It was, and in due time Francesca took the boy back.  Her account of the farewell moments was not without a certain amount of pathos, several other mothers and their boys being involved in the valedictory scene.  Four or five days afterwards, however, we received the following letter, which put to flight any idea that Frederick might be pining:—­