"But maybe he went without leave?" Gracie said, half inquiringly. "Yes, that was it; he forgot to ask. A very little thing to punish him for, I'm sure; but Mr. Dinsmore (I sha'n't call him grandpa) says he must stay in his own room till this time to-morrow." "Why," said Gracie, "that's worse than mamma's punishment to me for--for doing such a wicked, wicked thing!" "Yes, she's not such a cruel tyrant. He'd have beaten you black and blue. I hope she won't tell him about it." A terrified look came into Gracie's eyes, and she burst out crying again. "O Gracie, don't!" Lulu entreated, kneeling down beside the sofa and clasping her arms about her. "I didn't mean to frighten you so. Of course, Mamma Vi won't; if she meant to she'd have done it before now, and you'd have heard from him, too." A step came along the hall, the door opened, and Agnes appeared bearing a large silver waiter. "Ise brung yo' suppah, chillens," she said, setting it down on a table. Then lifting a stand and placing it near Gracie's couch, she presently had it covered with a snowy cloth and a dainty little meal arranged upon it: broiled chicken, stewed oysters, delicate rolls, hot buttered muffins and waffles, canned peaches with sugar and rich cream, sponge cake, nice and fresh, and abundance of rich sweet milk. The little girls viewed these dainties with great satisfaction, and suddenly discovered that they were very hungry. Agnes set up a chair for each, saw them begin their meal, then left the room, saying she would be back again directly with more hot cakes. "There, Gracie, you needn't be the least bit afraid you're to be punished any more," remarked Lulu. "They'd never have sent us such a supper as this if they wanted to punish us." "Do you want to run away from them now?" asked Gracie. "Do you think Grandpa Dinsmore is so very, very cross to us?" "He's too hard on Max," returned Lulu, "though not so hard as he used to be on Grandma Elsie when she was his own little girl; and perhaps papa would be just as hard as he is with Max." "But 'tisn't 'cause they like to make us sorry, except for being naughty, so that we'll grow up good, you know," said Grace. "I'm sure our dear papa loves us, every one, and wouldn't ever make us sorry except just to make us good. And you know we can't be happy here, or go to heaven when we die, if we're not good." "Yes, I know," said Lulu; "I'm not a bit happy when I'm angry and stubborn, but for all that I can't help it." CHAPTER XV. "Happy in this, she is not yet so old But she may learn." --Shakespeare. Violet, meeting her grandfather on the way to the supper-room, gave him an anxious, troubled inquiring look, which he answered by a brief statement, given in an undertone, of what had just passed between himself and Max and Lulu. "All of them!" sighed the young stepmother to herself, "all three of them at once! Ah me!"