in her
dressing-room.

"Lulu," she said, "it will certainly give great distress to your father
when he learns that you have become a rebel against grandpa's authority.
You seem to love your papa very dearly; how can you bear to pain him so?"

"I am quite sure papa would not order me to take another lesson of a man
who has struck me," was the reply, in a half-tremulous tone, which told
that the appeal had not failed to touch the child's heart. "I do love my
father dearly, dearly, but I can't submit to such insulting treatment;
and nothing on earth will make me."

"You are not asked or ordered to do that," Violet answered gently; "the
man is to be utterly forbidden to ill-treat you in any way.

"Perhaps I should hardly try to hire you to do right, but I think there
is nothing I would refuse you if you will but do as grandpa bids you.
What would you like to have which it is in my power to bestow--a new
dress? a handsome set of jewelry? books? toys? What will you have?"

"Nothing, thank you," returned Lulu, coldly.

"I will double your pocket-money," was Violet's next offer; but Lulu
heard it in silence and with no relaxing of the stubborn determination of
her countenance.

"I will do that and give you both dress and jewelry besides," Violet
said, with a little hesitation, not feeling sure that she was doing quite
right.

Lulu's eyes shone for an instant, but the stubborn look settled down on
her face again.

"Mamma Vi, I don't want to be bribed," she said. "If anything at all
would induce me to do as you wish and break my word, love for papa and
Gracie and Max would do it alone."

Violet sighed. Drawing out her watch, "It is past your bedtime," she
said. "Lulu, dear," and she drew the child caressingly toward her, "when
you say your prayers to-night will you not ask God to show you the right
and help you to do it?"

"Mamma Vi, it can't be right to tell a lie, and what else should I be
doing if I went back to Signor Foresti for lessons after I've said over
and over that I never would again?"

"Suppose a man has promised to commit murder; should he keep that promise
or break it?" asked Violet.

"Break it, of course," replied Lulu; "but this is quite another thing,
Mamma Vi."

"I'm not so clear about that," Violet answered seriously. "In the case we
have supposed, the promise would be to break the sixth commandment; in
yours it is to break the fifth."

"I'm not disobeying papa," asserted Lulu, hotly.

"