wo scholars passed them with something very like a sneer.

The printing-press is either the greatest blessing or the greatest curse
of modern times, one sometimes forgets which. Elspeth's faith in it was
absolute, and as it only spoke to her from placards, here was her
religion, at the age of four:

"PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.
HAPPY ARE THEY WHO NEEDING KNOW THE
PAINLESS POROUS PLASTER."

Of religion, Tommy had said many fine things to her, embellishments on
the simple doctrine taught him by his mother before the miseries of this
world made her indifferent to the next. But the meaning of "Pray without
ceasing," Elspeth, who was God's child always, seemed to find out for
herself, and it cured all her troubles. She prayed promptly for every
one she saw doing wrong, including Shovel, who occasionally had words
with Tommy on the subject, and she not only prayed for her mother, but
proposed to Tommy that they should buy her a porous plaster. Mrs. Sandys
had been down with bronchitis again.

Tommy raised the monetary difficulty.

Elspeth knew where there was some money, and it was her very own.

Tommy knew where there was money, and it was his very own.

Elspeth would not tell how much she had, and it was twopence halfpenny.

Neither would Tommy tell, and it was twopence.

Tommy would get a surprise on his birthday.

So would Elspeth get a surprise on her birthday.

Elspeth would not tell what the surprise was to be, and it was to be a
gun.

Tommy also must remain mute, and it was to be a box of dominoes.

Elspeth did not want dominoes.

Tommy knew that, but he wanted them.

Elspeth discovered that guns cost fourpence, and dominoes threepence
halfpenny; it seemed to her, therefore, that Tommy was defrauding her of
a halfpenny.

Tommy liked her cheek. You got the dominoes for threepence halfpenny,
but the price on the box is fivepence, so that Elspeth would really owe
him a penny.

This led to an agonizing scene in which Elspeth wept while Tommy told
her sternly about Reddy. It had become his custom to tell the tale of
Reddy when Elspeth was obstreperous.

Then followed a scene in which Tommy called himself a scoundrel for
frightening his dear Elspeth, and swore that he loved none but her.
Result: reconciliation, and agreed, that instead of a gun and dominoes,
they should buy a porous plaster. You know the shops where the plasters
are to be obtained by great colored bottles in their windows, and, as it
was a