found himself being ignominiously spanked. That
was too much. Johnny's fighting blood was up.
He lost all consideration for circumstances, he for-
got that Aunt Janet was not a boy, that she was quite
near being an old lady. She had overstepped the
bounds of privilege of age and sex, and an alarming
state of equality ensued. Quickly the tables were
turned. The boy became far from limp. He stiff-
ened, then bounded and rebounded like wire. He
butted, he parried, he observed all his famous tac-
tics of battle, and poor Aunt Janet sat down in the
dust, black dress, bonnet, glasses (but the glasses
were off and lost), little improving book, black silk
gloves, and all; and Johnny, hopeless, awful, irrev-
erent, sat upon his Aunt Janet's plunging knees,
which seemed the most lively part of her. He kept
his face twisted away from her, but it was not from
cowardice. Johnny was afraid lest Aunt Janet
should be too much overcome by the discovery of
his identity. He felt that it was his duty to spare
her that. So he sat still, triumphant but inwardly
aghast.

It was fast dawning upon him that his aunt was
not a little boy. He was not afraid of any punish-
ment which might be meted out to him, but he was
simply horrified. He himself had violated all the
honorable conditions of warfare. He felt a little
dizzy and ill, and he felt worse when he ventured
a hurried glance at Aunt Janet's face. She was very