At last Pompton drove away with the car, and they watched it disappear
down the street, and then turned to greet Mr. Maynard as he entered.

Marjorie went straight up to her father, and stood in front of him.

"I do think you are the most wonderful Father in the whole world," she
said, eyeing him in a judicial manner.

"And the grandest!" said Kitty, snuggling herself in under his arm.

"And the tip-toppest!" declared King, grasping his father's other hand.

"Well, well!" exclaimed Mr. Maynard, dropping into an armchair, "I am
certainly catching some fine compliments! And I'd like to return them.
I don't mind confessing that I think you young people just about the
highest class of goods in the market!"

"But we're not as splendid as you are," said Marjorie, thoughtfully;
"because you do things for us, and we never do anything for you."

"Oh, yes, you do," returned her father; "you do all I want you to, by
just living, and growing, and trying to behave yourselves properly."

"But we don't always do that," said Kitty, with a repentant air.

"You do, Kit," said King, generously, "you're always good. Mops and I are
the ones that slip up."

"It's human nature to slip up occasionally," said Mr. Maynard, "but I
think on the whole my kiddies do pretty well. Now, as you know, we start