“I heartily wish he were here to attend to it,” was the response, in a kindly pitying tone.  “But since, unfortunately, he is not, and my father, too, is absent, the unpleasant duty devolves upon me.  I have not had time to fully consider the matter, but have no thought of being very severe with you; and perhaps if you knew all the anxiety and sore distress suffered on your account this evening—­particularly by your mamma and little sister—­you would be sufficiently punished already.”

“Did Mamma Vi care?” Lulu asked, in a half-incredulous tone.

“My child, she was almost distracted,” Elsie said.  “She loves you for both your own and your father’s sake.  Besides, as she repeated again and again, she was sorely distressed on his account, knowing his love for you to be so great that to lose you would well-nigh break his heart.”

A flash of joy illumined Lulu’s face at this new testimony to her father’s love for her, but passed away as suddenly as it came.

“I do feel punished in hearing that you were all so troubled about me, Grandma Elsie,” she said, “and I mean to be very, very careful not to cause such anxiety again.  Please tell Mamma Vi I am sorry to have given her pain; but she shouldn’t care anything about such a naughty girl.”

“That, my child, she cannot help,” Elsie said; “she loves your father far too well not to love you for his sake.”

After a little more kindly admonitory talk she went away, leaving a tender, motherly kiss upon the little girl’s lips.

At the door Grace met her with a request for a good-night kiss, which was promptly granted.

“Good-night, dear little one; pleasant dreams and a happy awaking, if it be God’s will,” Elsie said, bending down to touch her lips to the rosebud mouth and let the small arms twine themselves around her neck.

“Good-night, dear Grandma Elsie,” responded the child.  “Oh, aren’t you ever so glad God brought our Lulu safely home to us?”

“I am indeed, dear; let us not forget to thank Him for it in our prayers to-night.”

Lulu heard, and as Grace’s arms went round her neck the next moment, and the sweet lips, tremulous with emotion, touched her cheek,

“Were you so distressed about me, Gracie?” she asked with feeling.  “Did Mamma Vi care so very much that I might be drowned?”

“Yes, indeed, Lu, dear Lu; oh, what could I do without my dear sister?”

“You know you have another one now,” Suggested Lulu.

“That doesn’t make any difference,” said Grace.  “She’s the darling baby sister; you are the dear, dear big sister.”

“Papa calls me his little girl,” remarked Lulu, half musingly; “and somehow I like to be little to him and big to you.  Oh, Gracie, what do you suppose he will say when he hears about to-night?—­my being so bad; and so soon after he went away, too.”

“Oh, Lu, what made you?”

“Because I was careless; didn’t think; and I begin to believe that it was because I didn’t choose to take the trouble,” she sighed.  “I’m really afraid if papa were here I should get just the same sort of a punishment he gave me before.  Gracie, don’t you ever, ever tell anybody about that.”