"Then I'm sorry for lots of girls," rejoined the doctor. "Shirley is going to be my good girl and go to bed every night at half-past seven, aren't you, dear? Sarah at eight and Rosemary at nine--and that's all settled. Put up the dominoes, children, and run along for it's twenty minutes past eight this minute." "I don't want to go to bed," wailed Shirley. "I'll go up with you, darling," promised Rosemary, putting down her knitting. "I'll tell you a story about the little brown bear." "Don't want a story," said Shirley with finality. Aunt Trudy put down her book and surveyed her youngest niece sympathetically. "What's the matter with my sweetheart?" she asked, her voice tender. "Is she afraid of the big dark?" The doctor made an impatient exclamation. "That's nonsense, Aunt Trudy," he said curtly. "No child of my mother has ever been frightened of the dark; we were not brought up that way. Every one of us has been trained to go up to bed alone at the right time, as a matter of course. Sarah, put away those dominoes and go upstairs to bed with Shirley." Sarah tumbled the game into the box and stalked from the room without a word to any one. Shirley simply threw herself flat on the floor and cried with anger. She was sleepy and tired and she resented this summary curtailment of her privileges. For the last two weeks she had been going to bed when Rosemary did and she liked the plan. "I hope you will excuse us, Aunt Trudy," said the harassed Doctor Hugh, scooping his small sister up from the floor and carrying her toward the door. "We're in sad need of a little discipline, I'm afraid." "And you're not going to enforce it," he said grimly to himself as he marched upstairs with the screaming Shirley. "I seem to have my work cut out for me--I wonder how about Rosemary?" When he came downstairs again, having seen both Shirley and Sarah quiet and asleep, he found his sister and aunt deep in the problem of "narrowing off." "I just waited to say good-night to you, Hugh," said Aunt Trudy brightly. "I'm tired from the trip and I want to start the day well to-morrow." She kissed him and rustled out of the room, and Rosemary folded up her work as the deep chime of the hall clock sounded nine. "Shirley was tired, Hugh," she said, a little timidly. "She hardly ever acts that way. And Sarah doesn't mean to be obstinate, but she just can't help it." "Well, I'm glad you think to-night isn't an average performance," declared her brother humorously. "You're a sweet older sister, Rosemary. The girls couldn't do better than to pattern after you." "Oh, Hugh! You are nice--" Rosemary's voice rose in a crescendo of pure pleasure. "But I'm not a good example--you won't say that when you know me. I get as mad, as mad--as--Shirley." "The more shame to you," said the doctor unbelievingly, kissing her vivid little face. "Go to bed, child, and don't talk to me about losing your temper."