thither, when he had stormed himself away, we retire, only too thankful to have that refuge to sneak into. Anything is bearable while we are together, the only real misery he could inflict upon us would be to commit us all to solitary confinement. Jack comes in by-and-by, and sits down on the edge of Alice and Milly's bed, while I perch myself on a chair hard by.
"What fools we were," he says, with a dark look in his blue eyes, "not to have set a scout to watch; the sneakiness of him—why couldn't he have walked in like a man instead of hanging about outside?" He gives his shoulders, which are still tingling with the sharp lash of the governor's cane, an impatient shake.
"I can't think what fathers were invented for," I say, dolefully. "I am sure we should have got on much better without ours. For my part, if I had been asked whether I would or would not come into the world, I should have said, 'Yes, and thank you kindly, sir, if you can manage for me to have no papa!'"
"And yet he almost forgives our daring to exist, when he reflects on the number of times we have afforded him the exquisite satisfaction of whipping us," says Jack. "Well, when I come back from school next Christmas, if he tries to beat the devil's tattoo on my back again, he shall find he won't get it all his own way."
"And we will hang upon his coat tails," I say, comfortingly, "while the fry harass him fore and aft in countless swarms."
"Don't forget that he is going away," puts in Milly; "I was turning that sweet thought over in my mind the whole time he was making that row."
"He will lock us all up," I say, with conviction. "He will never go away and leave us free to do all the things he heard us arranging to-night."
"You little silly!" says Jack, crushingly; "don't you know that he thinks us all dummies, and no more believes us capable of daring
