behave, but they were the right views, and so long as I was under
her roof and in her care, she would see that I conformed to them.
She went on making a mountain out of our little molehill, till even
Grandfather broke in with a word; and then she snapped at him, got
into her second wind and went off again. "I didn't listen half the
time. I just stood and watched her as you'd watch one of those weird
old women in one of Dickens' books come to life. What I remember of
it all is that I am deceitful and fast, ungrateful, irresponsible,
with no sense of decency, and when at last she pronounced sentence,
what do you think it was? Confinement to the house for a week and if
after that, I ever meet you again, to be packed off to a finishing-
school in Massachusetts. She rapped her stick on the floor by way of
a full stop, and waved her hand toward the door. I never said a
word, not a single one. What was the use? I gave her a little bow
and went. Just as I was going to rush upstairs and think over what I
could do, Grandfather came out and told me to go to his room to read
something to him. And there, for the first time, he let me see what
a fine old fellow he really is. He agreed with Grandmother that I
ought not to have met you on the sly. It was dangerous, he said,
though perfectly natural. He was afraid I found it very trying to
live among a lot of old grouches with their best feet in the grave,
but he begged me to put up with it because he would miss me so. He
liked having me about, not only to read to him but to look at. I
reminded him of Grandmother when she was young, and life was worth
living.

"I cried then. I couldn't help it--more for his sake than mine. He
spoke with such a funny sort of sadness. 'Be patient, my dear,' he
said. 'Treat us both with a little kindness. You're top dog. You
have all your life before you. Make allowances for two old people