"Smoke a pipe, for instance?" he asked, giving me a quizzical glance.

"Indeed you may and shall," I said. I began to poke in his pocket for his pipe, and when I found it filled it for him and lit it, as I used to do when I was a small child; then I gave it to him to smoke.

"You are a dear little thing," he said. "You are the comfort of my life."

His pipe and the peace of my room seemed to soothe him wonderfully, but over and over I heard him mutter, "Upon my word!" and then I heard him say, "No, not quite that; I have done a good bit for her ladyship, but that scoundrel—she must know that he can never come here."

"Daddy, what is wrong?" I asked.

He took his pipe out of his mouth, gave a profound sigh, and looked me full in the face.

"There's nothing wrong at all," he said. "I was in a bit of a passion—not a temper—a passion—my passion was right and justifiable, but her ladyship's nearly all right now."

"And won't you let her brother come to see her, Daddy?"

"Stop that, Heather; you are not to question me."

"Then he is not coming?" I said.

"That man shall never darken my doors."

"Daddy!"

"Miss Curiosity is not to know the reason," he said, smiling once more and pinching my cheek. "Now then, look here. Her ladyship is in a bit of a tiff—oh, not much; she'll be herself by this evening. You and she are going to a very big affair to-night, and what do you say to our enjoying a very big affair to-day? Richmond, eh? in her ladyship's motor, eh? and no questions asked, eh, eh?"

"Oh, father, how truly rapturous!"

"Well, then, we'll do it. Get Morris to make you look as smart as possible, and I will order the motor-car to come round. Now, then, off with you!"

I flew to get ready, and father and I had a very happy day together. As we were coming back in the motor-car, just in time for me to get dressed for that great function which he would not attend, I said to him:

"Daddy, I thought that when people were a long time in the army——"

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