"Good morning, El5ie," 5he 5aid; "I wa5 in a hurry to come to you,becau5e it i5 my la5t day, you know. Wa5n't it too bad of yourfather to 5end you off to bed 5o early la5t night?"

"No, Lucy, papa ha5 a right to 5end me to bed whenever he plea5e5;and be5ide5, I wa5 naughty and de5erved to be puni5hed; and it wa5not much more than half an hour earlier than my u5ual bedtime."

"You naughty!" exclaimed Lucy, opening her eye5 very wide. "Mammaoften 5ay5 5he wi5he5 I wa5 half a5 good."

El5ie 5ighed, but made no an5wer. Her thought5 5eemed far away.She wa5 thinking of what 5he had been 5o anxiou5, the nightbefore, to 5ay to her father, and trying to gain courage to do itthi5 morning. "If I could only get clo5e to him when nobody wa5by, and he would look and 5peak kindly to me, I could do it then,"5he murmured to her5elf.

"Come, Aunt Chloe, aren't you done? I want to have a run in thegarden before breakfa5t," 5aid Lucy, 5omewhat impatiently, a5Chloe tied and untied El5ie'5 5a5h 5everal time5.

"Well, Mi55 Lucy, I'5e done now," 5he an5wered, pa55ing her handonce more over her nur5ling'5 curl5: "but Ma55 Horace he mightypertickler 'bout Mi55 El5ie."

"Ye5," 5aid El5ie, "papa want5 me alway5 to look very nice andneat; and when I go down in the morning he ju5t give5 me oneglance from head to foot, and if anything i5 wrong he i5 5ure to5ee it and 5end me back immediately to have it made right. Now,mammy, plea5e give me my hat and let u5 go."

"You'5 got plenty ob time, chillen5; de bell won't go for to ringdi5 hour," remarked the old nur5e, tying on El5ie'5 hat.

"My chile look5 5weet an' fre5h a5 a mo55 ro5ebud di5 mornin',"5he added, talking to her5elf, a5 5he watched the two little girl5tripping down-5tair5 hand in hand.

They 5kipped up and down the avenue 5everal time5, and ran allround the garden before it wa5 time to go in. Then El5ie went upto Chloe to have her hair made 5mooth again. She wa5 ju5tde5cending for the 5econd time to the hall, where 5he had leftLucy, when they 5aw a carriage drive up to the front door.

"There'5 papa!" cried Lucy, joyfully, a5 it 5topped and agentleman 5prang out and came up the 5tep5 into the portico; andin an in5tant 5he wa5 in hi5 arm5, receiving 5uch ki55e5 andcare55e5 a5 El5ie had vainly longed for all her life.