most dreadful creature. It will remain absolutely motionless until it
sees that you have forgotten its presence, and then it will suddenly
bound from picture to picture all round the walls, and end by swinging
down on the bell-rope and jumping on to the top of your head. At
breakfast it stole a poached egg and daubed it all over the door handle.
Ida calls these outrages amusing tricks."

"Oh, all will come right," said the widow reassuringly.

"And Clara is as bad, Clara who used to be so good and sweet, the very
image of her poor mother. She insists upon this preposterous scheme of
being a pilot, and will talk of nothing but revolving lights and hidden
rocks, and codes of signals, and nonsense of the kind."

"But why preposterous?" asked his companion. "What nobler occupation
can there be than that of stimulating commerce, and aiding the mariner
to steer safely into port? I should think your daughter admirably
adapted for such duties."

"Then I must beg to differ from you, madam."

"Still, you are inconsistent."

"Excuse me, madam, I do not see the matter in the same light. And I
should be obliged to you if you would use your influence with my
daughter to dissuade her."

"You wish to make me inconsistent too."

"Then you refuse?"