"My dear child, we all care very much for you," said his mamma, not knowing of course how he had cut his finger, and as she had promised Fanny not to do so, she did not ask him. "I am very sorry that Fanny should have slapped your face, but I am afraid you must have done something to provoke her, I must ask her why she did it. I cannot help thinking that you must have been naughty, or Mrs Norton and Susan would not have scolded you. Come down with me into the garden, we will have a game of battledore and shuttlecock on the lawn, the fresh air will do you good." "I cannot play, my hand hurts me so much," answered Norman. Mrs Vallery, seeing from the small size of the finger-stall Mrs Norton had put on, that the injury could not be very severe, insisted that Norman should accompany her. "You will soon, I hope, Norman, go to school, where you will have other boys to play with," observed Mrs Vallery, as she led him downstairs. She felt that the child was left too much alone by himself, and that if placed with companions of his own age, they would assist to correct some of his many faults. "If his papa consents to send him to school, he will at all events not be permitted there to have his own way, as he has hitherto been," she said to herself, and she determined to try and get Captain Vallery to select a school as soon as possible, knowing well that Mrs Leslie would support her. As it was Norman's left hand which had been hurt, he was very well able to hold a battledore, and after playing with his mamma a short time, he recovered his usual spirits, and appeared totally to forget how naughty he had been. He wondered that nobody had asked him how he had cut his finger, or spoke to him about Miss Lucy, not understanding the forgiving spirit which had induced Fanny to refrain from speaking of his conduct. "Perhaps she is afraid of saying anything about it, because she slapped my face," he thought. At last, Mrs Vallery went in to get ready for dinner. Fanny found Norman who had been sent into the drawing-room to put the battledores and shuttlecock away. "How is your finger?" she asked, in a pitying tone. "Oh, it smarts very much," he answered, "though I do not think you care much about it." "Indeed, I do, dear Norman," she said; "you do not know how sorry I am that I slapped your face, and granny has given me some salve and some soft linen to bind up your finger again, and if you will come here, I will try and do it very gently, and not hurt you." Fanny sat down in her granny's chair. Taking off the wrapping which Mrs Norton had put on, and which was somewhat stained with blood, she replaced it with a nice soft piece covered with salve, which felt very cool, and soon took away all the pain. Having done this Fanny affectionately kissed him.