her feet. His roving blue eyes met Susan's as she came over to him,
while his chubby face broke into a delicious smile.

"Don't notice him, Susan," said Virginia, in her lovely voice which was
as full of tenderness and as lacking in humour as her mother's. "Harry,
you shan't speak to Aunt Susan until you've been good and finished your
prayers."

"Don't want to speak to Aunt Susan," retorted the monster of infant
depravity, slipping his bare toes through a rent in the rug, and
doubling up with delight at his insubordination.

"I never knew him to behave like this before," said Virginia, almost in
tears from shame and weariness. "It must be the excitement of getting
here. He is usually so good. Now, Harry, begin all over again. 'God
bless dear papa, God bless dear mamma, God bless dear grandmamma, God
bless dear grandpapa, God bless dear Lucy, God bless dear Jenny, God
bless all our dear friends.'"

"God bless dear Harry," recited the monster.

"He has gone on like that ever since I started," said poor Virginia. "I
don't know what to do about it. It seems dreadful to let him go to bed
without saying his prayers properly. Now, Harry, please, please be good;
poor mother is so tired, and she wants to go and kiss little Jenny
good-night. 'God bless dear papa,' and I'll let you get in bed."

"God bless Harry," was the imperturbable rejoinder to this pleading.

"Don't you want your poor mother to have some supper, Harry?" inquired
Susan severely.

"Harry wants supper," answered the innocent.

"I suppose I'll have to let him go," said Virginia, distractedly, "but
Oliver will be horrified. He says I don't reason with them enough.
Harry," she concluded sternly, "don't you understand that it is naughty
of you to behave this way and keep mamma away from poor little Jenny?"

"Bad Jenny," said Harry.

"If you don't say your prayers this minute, you shan't have any
preserves on your bread to-morrow."

"Bad preserves," retorted Harry.

"Well, if he won't, I don't see how I can make him," said Virginia.
"Come, then, get into bed, Harry, and go to sleep. You have been a bad
boy and hurt poor mamma's feelings so that she is going to cry. She
won't be able to eat her supper for thinking of the way you have
disobeyed her."

Jumping into bed with a bound, Harry dug his head into the pillows,
gurgled, and then sat up very straight.

"God bless dear papa, God bless dear mamma, God bless dear grandmamma,
God bless dear grandpa