"Mummy told me to wait till _you_ came." Really, these parents! The way they shirk their responsibilities nowadays is disgusting. "'Home Rails Firm.'" said Margery, and settled herself to listen. It is good that children should be encouraged to take an interest in the affairs of the day, but I do think that a little girl might be taught by its father (or if more convenient, mother) which part of a newspaper to read. Had Margery asked me the difference between a bunker and a banker, had she demanded an explanation of "ultimatum" or "guillotine," I could have done something with it; but to let a child of six fill her head with ideas as to the firmness or otherwise of Home Rails is hardly nice. However, an explanation had to be given. "Well, it's like this, Margery," I said at last. "Supposing--well--you see, supposing,--that is to say, if I----" and then I stopped. I had a sort of feeling--intuition, they call it--that I was beginning in the wrong way. "Go on," said Margery. "Perhaps, I had better put it this way. Supposing you were to--Well, we'd better begin further back than that. You know what--No, I don't suppose you do know that. Well, if I--that is to say, when a man--you know, it's rather difficult to explain this, Margery." "Are you explaining it now?" "I'm just going to begin." "Thank you, uncle." I lit my pipe slowly, while I considered again how best to approach the matter. "'Home Rails Firm,'" said Margery. "Isn't it a _funny_ thing to say?" It was. It was a very silly thing to say. Whoever said it first might have known what it would lead to. "Perhaps I can explain it best like this, Margery," I said, beginning on a new tack. "I suppose you know what 'firm' means?" "What does it mean?" "Ah, well, if you don't know that," I said, rather pleased, "perhaps I had better explain that first. 'Firm' means that--that is to say, you call a thing firm if it--well, if it doesn't--that is to say, a thing is firm if it can't move." "Like a house." "Well, something like that. This chair for instance," and I put my hand on her chair, "is firm because you can't shake it. You see, it's quite--Hallo, what's that?" "Oh, you bad uncle, you've knocked the castor off again," cried Margery, greatly excited at the incident. "This is too much," I said bitterly. "Even the furniture is against me." "Go on explaining," said Margery, rocking herself in the now wobbly chair. I decided to leave "firm." It is not an easy word to explain at the best of times, and when everything you touch goes and breaks itself it becomes perfectly impossible. "Well, so much for that," I said. "And now we come to 'rails.' You know what rails are?" "Like I've got in the nursery?" This was splendid. I had forgotten these for the moment. "Exactly. The rails your train goes on. Well, then, 'Home Rails' would be rails at home." "Well, I've got them at home," said Margery in surprise. "I couldn't have them anywhere else."