Besides, although, mind you, I do not consider myself in any way bound to allay your curiosity and satisfy your compunctious scruples, you should remember that all of us young parishioners of Saint Canon's-- Horner, Baby Blake, Lizzie Dangler and the rest--had known each other almost from the distant days of childhood; and, consequently, were in the habit of _tutoyer_-ing one another, using our respective "given" names in familiar conversation. The habit may be a bad one, it is true, but you cannot prevent it sometimes. There is no practice so capable of imitation as that of calling one another by the Christian name. It is just like that of the monkeys all cleaning their teeth along the banks of the Amazon with pieces of stick, because they saw Professor Agassiz setting them an example one fine morning, when engaged on his toilet in company with a tooth-brush. You can't help yourself: you must bow to the custom and follow suit. In this instance, there was Miss Pimpernell, always addressing _her_ as "Min," and _me_ as "Frank." The Dasher girls and others soon learnt to do the same. What more likely than that we ourselves should fall into a similar friendly system? It was only reasonable; and a result which even a less alert person than yourself would have looked for. At all events, neither of us meant any harm by it; and I am willing to "take my affidavit" to that effect any day you please to name, in any Court of Justice you may appoint. Notwithstanding the intimate footing that now existed between Min and myself, the fact of my non-acquaintance with her mother, annoyed me extremely. You need not flatter yourself, however. It was not in the least on account of any conscientious qualms, like yours. I wished to know her personally from a totally different motive; and yet, in spite of all attempts and stratagems on my part, I never could get a chance of meeting her when I was in the company of some kind friend to act as go-between and soothe the exigencies of introduction; although, when alone I would encounter her frequently. This was very vexing--especially so after a while; and I'll tell you how it was. As the days flew by, and the new year, born in a moment, grew with giant strides in that hasty growth common to all new years--they have a habit of shooting ahead the first few months of their existence, as if they desired to "force the pace," and make all the "running" they can--my facilities for intercourse with Min became "small by degrees and beautifully less." There you have the cause of my annoyance at once.