"Many a worse boy deserves his dinner more than you do," she whispered, stopping before she took him in. "Eat yours with what appetite you can, but let me advise you to try and be sorry for the ungrateful way you have treated your sister, who has been so kind to you since you came into the house." Norman snatched his hand away from her, and with a glum countenance entered the dining-room. Walking up to the table he took his seat eyeing Fanny, who he suspected, judging by himself, had been telling their grandmamma and mamma what he had done. She, however, had not said a word about the matter. They were merely looking at him, wondering what made his countenance so sullen. "I hope you have had a happy morning, Norman," said his grandmamma, as she offered him some minced beef. He made no reply. "My dear, pray answer your grandmamma," said Mrs Vallery, for she had been directed never to order Norman to do anything. Still he did not speak. "My dear child do let me entreat you to make use of your tongue, your grandmamma spoke to you and asked if you had had a happy morning." "I never am happy, and am not likely to be with no one to try and amuse me," growled out Norman. "I am sure that your sister wishes to amuse you," observed Mrs Leslie, "and I shall be very glad to read to you, or to tell you stories such as I used to tell Fanny, when she was of your age, if you will come and sit by me and listen." "She is only a girl, and you are an old woman," muttered Norman shovelling the mince meat into his mouth. "I want boys to play with me." "You will find plenty of boys to play with when you go to school, where I hope your papa will soon send you," observed Mrs Leslie, "but you will find that they do not treat you in the gentle way your sister does, and perhaps you will often wish that you had her again as a playmate." "We must have another game of battledore and shuttlecock on the lawn after dinner," said Fanny, "you seem to like that, and on one side it will be pleasant and shady." Norman finding that Fanny had not complained of the way he had treated her garden, became more amiable and agreed to her proposal. Before going out, however, she persuaded him to sit quiet and listen to a story, which she told him out of one of her picture-books. The children were playing on the lawn, when Captain Vallery appeared followed by a man carrying a large parcel. Norman went on throwing up the shuttlecock, but Fanny ran to her papa to welcome him with a kiss. "I have got something for you both, will you like to come in and see the parcel opened," he said taking it from the man and going into the house. Hearing his papa's remark Norman followed him and Fanny, eager to learn what the parcel contained. Captain Vallery had placed it on a chair. While he was speaking to his wife and Mrs Leslie, Norman ran up to it, and although he had not even spoken to his papa, began pulling away at the string.