scrabbled round, in choosing between cream and lemon, to hide the fact that they had not seen it themselves. She was therefore exactly the person to select a little library of the latest reading for an old gentleman who was so behind the times as her grandfather; but before she plunged into the mad vortex of new publications she thought she would delicately find out his preferences, or if he had none, would try to inspire him with a curiosity concerning these or those new books. "Now, grandfather," she began, "you know I always give you a Christmas present." "Yes, my dear," the old gentleman patiently assented, "I know you do. You are very thoughtful." "Not at all. If there is anything I hate, it is being thoughtful. What I like is being spontaneous." "Well, then, my dear, I don't mind saying you are very spontaneous." "And I detest surprises. If any one wishes to make a lasting enemy of me, let him surprise me. So I am going to tell you now what I am going to give you. Do you like that?" "I like everything you do, my child." "Well, this time you will like it better than ever. I am going to give you books. And in order not to disappoint you by giving you books that you have read before, I want to catechise you a little. Shall you mind it?" "Oh no, but I'm afraid you won't find me very frank." "I shall make you be. If you are not frank, there is no fun in not surprising you, or in not giving you books that you have read." "There is something in that," her grandfather assented. "But now, instead of finding out what I have read, or what I like, why not tell me what I ought to read and to like? I think I have seen a vast deal of advice to girls about their reading: why shouldn't the girls turn the tables and advise their elders? I often feel the need of advice from girls on all sorts of subjects, and you would find me very grateful, I believe." The girl's eyes sparkled and then softened toward this docile ancestor. "Do you really mean it, grandfather? It would be fun if you did." "But I should want it to be serious, my dear. I should be glad if your good counsel could include the whole conduct of life, for I am sensible sometimes of a tendency to be silly and wicked, which I am sure you could help me to combat." "Oh, grandfather," said the girl, tenderly, "you know that isn't true!" "Well, admit for the sake of argument that it isn't. My difficulty in regard to reading remains, and there you certainly could help me. At moments it seems to me that I have come to the end of my line." The old gentleman's voice fell, and she could no longer suspect him of joking. So she began, "Why, what have you been reading last?" "Well, my dear, I have been looking into the _Spectator_ a little." "The London _Spectator_? Jim says they have it at the club, and he swears by it. But I mean, what books; and that's a weekly newspaper, or a kind of review, isn't it?"