"Yes, aunt, in nicknames; but Tom is not a nickname; it is only a short way of speaking. We never hear of a man being called Thomas, unless he is a footman or an archbishop, or something of that sort." "What do you mean by archbishop?" Miss Scudamore asked severely. "Well, aunt, I was going to say footman, and then I thought of Thomas a Becket; and there was Thomas the Rhymer. I have heard of him, but I never read any of his rhymes. I wonder why they did not call them poems. But I expect even Thomas a Becket was called Tom in his own family." Miss Scudamore looked sharply at Tom, but he had a perfect command of his face, and could talk the greatest nonsense with the most serious face. He went on unmoved with her scrutiny. "I have often wondered why I was not christened Tom, It would have been much more sensible. For instance, Rhoda is christened Rhoda and not Rhododendron." "Rhododendron?" Miss Scudamore said, mystified. "Yes, aunt, it is an American plant, I believe. We had one in the green-house at home; it was sent poor papa by some friend who went out there, I don't see anything else Rhoda could come from." "You are speaking very ignorantly, nephew," Miss Scudamore said severely. "I don't know anything about the plant you speak of, but the name of Rhoda existed before America was ever heard of. It is a very old name." "I expect," Peter said, "it must have meant originally a woman of Rhodes. You see Crusaders and Templars were always having to do with Rhodes, and they no doubt brought the name home, and so it got settled here." "The name is mentioned in Scripture," Miss Scudamore said severely. "Yes, aunt, and that makes it still more likely that it meant a woman of Rhodes; you see Rhodes was a great place then." Miss Scudamore was silent for some time. Then she went back to the subject with which the conversation had commenced. "What is the objection you spoke of to the room?" "Oh! it is the bars to the window, aunt." "I have just had them put up," Miss Scudamore said calmly. "Just put up, aunt!" Tom repeated in surprise, "what for?" "To prevent you getting out at night." The boys could not help laughing this time, and then Peter said, "But why should we want to get out at night, aunt?" "Why should boys always want to do the things they ought not?" Miss Scudamore said. "I've heard of boys being let down by ropes to go and buy things. I dare say you have both done it yourselves." "Well, aunt," Tom said, "perhaps we have; but then, you see, that was at school."