g
at you.'

'Well, I suppose I'll have to put up with it,' said Frankie, resignedly.

'And I think you'd better begin to dress me now, don't you?'

'Oh, there's plenty of time yet; you'd only make yourself untidy and
then I should have the trouble all over again. Play with your toys a
little while, and when I've done the washing up I'll get you ready.'

Frankie obeyed, and for about ten minutes his mother heard him in the
next room rummaging in the box where he stored his collection of
'things'. At the end of that time, however, he returned to the
kitchen. 'Is it time to dress me yet, Mum?'

'No, dear, not yet. You needn't be afraid; you'll be ready in plenty
of time.'

'But I can't help being afraid; you might forget.'

'Oh, I shan't forget. There's lots of time.'

'Well, you know, I should be much easier in my mind if you would dress
me now, because perhaps our clock's wrong, or p'r'aps when you begin
dressing me you'll find some buttons off or something, and then
there'll be a lot of time wasted sewing them on; or p'r'aps you won't
be able to find my clean stockings or something and then while you're
looking for it Charley might come, and if he sees I'm not ready he
mightn't wait for me.'

'Oh, dear!' said Nora, pretending to be alarmed at this appalling list
of possibilities. 'I suppose it will be safer to dress you at once.
It's very evident you won't let me have much peace until it is done,
but mind when you're dressed you'll have to sit down quietly and wait
till he comes, because I don't want the trouble of dressing you twice.'

'Oh, I don't mind sitting still,' returned Frankie, loftily. 'That's
very easy.

'I don't mind having to take care of my clothes,' said Frankie as his
mother--having washed and dressed him, was putting the finishing
touches to his hair, brushing and combing and curling the long yellow
locks into ringlets round her fingers, 'the only thing I don't like is
having my hair done. You know all these curls are quite unnecessary.
I'm sure it would save you a lot of trouble if you wouldn't mind
cutting them off.'

Nora did not answer: somehow or other she was unwilling to comply with
this often-repeated entreaty. It seemed to her that when this hair was
cut off the child would have become a different individual--more
separate and independent.

'If you don't want to cut it off for your own sake, you might do it for
my sake, because I think it's the reason some of the big