Mr. Dinsmore shook his head.  “I cannot have you annoyed with her, my little Vi; no more, at least, than you necessarily must be, occupying the relationship that you do.  But we will take the matter into consideration, getting your grandma and mother to aid us with their advice.”

“And we won’t tell her father the whole unpleasant truth, will we, grandpa?” Violet said, half inquiringly, half entreatingly.

“You shall tell him just what you please; I shall not trouble him in regard to the matter,” Mr. Dinsmore answered in his kindliest tone.

The entrance of Mrs. Keith and Annis put an end to the conversation, and presently dinner was announced.

Lulu went to the dining-room in some trepidation, not knowing what treatment to expect from Mr. Dinsmore, or others who might have learned the story of her misconduct.

But there seemed no change in the manner of any of the grown people, except Mr. Dinsmore, who simply ignored her existence altogether, apparently was unaware of her presence, never looking at or speaking to her.

He had privately given instructions beforehand to one of the servants to attend to Miss Lulu’s wants at the table, seeing that her plate was supplied with whatever viands she desired; and it was done so quietly that no one noticed anything unusual in the conduct of the meal.

Still Lulu was uncomfortably conscious of being in disgrace, and seized the first opportunity to slip quietly away to her own room.

She took up the story-book—­still unfinished—­which had got her into this trouble, but could not feel the interest she had before; an uneasy conscience prevented.

Laying it aside, she sat for some moments with her elbow on the window-sill, her cheek in her hand, her eyes gazing upon vacancy.  She was thinking of what Max had said about the duty of confession to her father.

“I wish I didn’t have to,” she sighed to herself; “I wish papa hadn’t said I must write out every day what I’ve been doing and send the diary to him.  I think it’s hard; it’s bad enough to have to confess my wrong-doing to him when he’s at home.  It’s just as well he isn’t, though, for I know he’d punish me if he was.  Maybe he will when he comes again, but it’s likely to be such a long while first that I think I’m pretty safe as far as that is concerned.  Oh, it does provoke me so that he will make me obey these people!  I’m determined I’ll do exactly as I please when I’m grown up!

“But if I’m sent off to boarding-school I’ll have to obey the teachers there, or have a fight and be expelled—­which would be a great disgrace and ’most break papa’s heart, I do believe—­and they would very likely be more disagreeable than even Grandpa Dinsmore; not half so nice and kind as Grandma Elsie, I’m perfectly certain.  Oh dear, if I only were grown up!  But I’m not, and I have to write the story of to-day to papa.  I’ll make it short.”