“Did I give that reason?” he asked gravely.

“No, papa,” she replied, hanging her head.

“Then you had no right to think so.  That was one reason, but not the only one.  I have heard it said that that play enlarges the knuckles, and I don’t choose to have these little hands of mine robbed of their beauty,” he added, playfully raising them to his lips.

Elsie smiled faintly, then drew a deep sigh.

“Is it so very hard to give up jack-stones?” he asked.

“No, papa; I don’t care anything about that, but I was just thinking how very naughty I must be growing; for you have had to punish me twice in one week; and then I have had such a hard day of it—­it was so difficult to amuse the children.  I think being up so late last night made them feel cross.”

“Ah!” he said, in a sympathizing tone; “and had you all the burden of entertaining them?  Where were Louise and Lora?”

“They are hardly ever with us, papa; we are too little to play with them, they say, and Enna won’t do anything her little friends want her to, and”—­she paused, and the color rushed over her face with the sudden thought—­“I am afraid I am telling tales.”

“And so they put upon you all the trouble of entertaining both your own company and theirs, eh?  It is shameful! a downright imposition, and I shall not put up with it!” he exclaimed indignantly.  “I shall speak to Lora and Louise, and tell them they must do their share of the work.”

“Please, papa, don’t,” Elsie begged in a frightened tone.  “I would a great deal rather just go on as we have been; they will be so vexed.”

“And suppose they are! they shall not hurt you,” he said, drawing her closer to him; “and they have no reason to be.  I think the children will all want to go to bed early to-night,” he added, “and then you can come here and sit by me while you copy your letter; shall you like that?”

“Very much, papa, thank you.”

“Well, then we will put on the shoes and stockings again,” he said pleasantly, “and then you must bathe your eyes, and go to your supper; and, as soon as the others retire, you may come back to me.”

Elsie had to make haste, for the tea-bell rang almost immediately.

The others were just taking their places at the table when she entered the room, and thus, their attention being occupied with the business in hand, she escaped the battery of questions and looks of curiosity which she had feared.

Flora did turn round after a little, to ask:  “Why didn’t you come back, Elsie; wouldn’t your papa let you play?” But Elsie’s quiet “no” seemed to satisfy her, and she made no further remark about it.

As Mr. Dinsmore had expected, the children were all ready for bed directly after tea; and then Elsie went to him, and had another quiet evening, which she enjoyed so much that she thought it almost made up for all the troubles and trials of the day; for her father, feeling a little remorseful on account of her long imprisonment in the closet, was, if possible, even more than usually tender and affectionate in his manner toward her.