“What now is to be done in this emergency?” soliloquized the governess, unconsciously thinking aloud.  “Miss Gertrude Ross,” turning to a girl of nine whose merry blue eyes were twinkling with fun, “follow your brother at once and inform him that I cannot permit any such act of insubordination; and he must return instantly to the performance of his duties.”

“Yes ma’am,” and Gertrude vanished; glad enough of the opportunity to see for herself who were the new arrivals.  “Phil,” she said, entering the drawing-room where the guests were already seated, “Miss Fisk says you’re an insubordination and must come back instantly.”

“Gertude,” said her mother, laughing “come and speak to Mr. Travilla and your little friends.  Why yes, Phil, to be sure; how came you here when you ought to be at your lessons?”

“Because I wanted to see Elsie Travilla,” he answered nonchalantly.

“Yes, but you should have asked for permission.  I ought to send you back.”

“But you won’t, ma, you know that as well as I do.  I’ll not go back a step while Elsie stays.”

“Well, well, it seems you are bound to have your own way, as usual,” Lucy answered, half laughing, half sighing, then resumed her talk with Mr. Travilla.

Seeing that the little Travillas had listened to this colloquy in blank amazement, she felt much mortified at Phil’s behavior, and on receiving the invitation threatened to leave him at home as a punishment.  But this only made matters worse:  he insisted that go he would, and if she refused permission he should never, never love her again as long as he lived.  And she weakly yielded.

“Lucy,” said her mother, when the guests were gone, and the children had left the room, “you are ruining that boy.”

“Well, I don’t see how I can help it, mamma how could I bear to lose his affection?”

“You are taking the very course to bring that about; it is the weakly indulged, not the wisely controlled, children who lose, first respect, and then affection for their parents.  Look at Elsie’s little family for instance; where can you find children ruled with a firmer hand, or more devotedly attached to their parents?”

Eddie was at that moment saying to his father, “Papa, isn’t Phil Ross a very, very naughty boy, to be so saucy and disobedient to his mamma?”

“My son,” answered Mr. Travilla with gentle gravity, “when you have corrected all Eddie Travilla’s faults it will be time enough to attend to those of others.”  And the child hung his head and blushed for shame.

It was Mr. and Mrs. Horace Dinsmore who did the honors at Ion early in the evening, receiving and welcoming each bevy of guests, and replying to the oft repeated inquiry for the master and mistress of the establishment, that they would make their appearance shortly.

Elsie’s children, most sweetly and becomingly dressed, had gathered about “Aunt Rosie,” in a corner of the drawing-room, and seemed to be waiting with a sort of intense but quiet eagerness for the coming of some expected event.