"Makes believe?" said little Lucy, in a hopeful
voice.

"Making believe is just a real mean way of lying.
Now I made Content promise last night never to
say one word in school about her big sister Solly, and
I am going to tell you this, so you can tell Lily and
the others and not lie. Of course, I don't want to
lie myself, because my father is rector, and, besides,
mother doesn't approve of it; but if anybody is
going to lie, I am the one. Now, you mind, little
Lucy. Content's big sister Solly has gone away,
and she is never coming back. If you tell Lily and
the others I said so, I can't see how you will be lying."

Little Lucy gazed at the boy. She looked like
truth incarnate. "But," said she, in her adorable
stupidity of innocence, "I don't see how she could
go away if she was never here, Jim."

"Oh, of course she couldn't. But all you have to
do is to say that you heard me say she had gone.
Don't you understand?"

"I don't understand how Content's big sister Solly
could possibly go away if she was never here."

"Little Lucy, I wouldn't ask you to tell a lie for
the world, but if you were just to say that you heard