warmly. "I know
mamma'll be glad, and I'm sure you'll be a much pleasanter boy to live
with. But you must ask God to help you, or you'll never succeed, son;
and besides, you've got to keep a tight watch on yourself all the time,
you know."

"Yes, I s'pose so," agreed Stevie, with a little sigh, "'cause feelings
are such hard things to manage; and, papa, please don't tell Kate and
Eva, or Hitty." Papa nodded, and then they went to tell mamma the
result of the talk.

Stevie did "try with all his might" for the next few days, and with
such good results as to astonish all but his papa and mamma, who, as
you know, were in the secret. Eva confided to Kate that she thought
Stevie was certainly like "the little girl with the curl," for if when
he was "bad he was horrid," "when he was good he was very, very good;"
and Mehitabel watched him closely, and hoped "he wasn't sickening for
measles or Italian fever."

How long this unusual state of affairs would have lasted under usual
circumstances is uncertain; but about a week after Stevie's talk with
his papa, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence were called suddenly to Naples on
urgent business, and the children were left in Venice in the
housekeeper's care. Mamma impressed upon her little son and daughters
that they must be very good children and obey Mehitabel just as they
would her; and when they were going, papa said to Stevie: "Son, I want
you to look after the girls and Mehitabel, and take care of them while
I am away. If anything happens, try to act as you think I would if I
were here."

"All right, I'll take good care of 'em," Stevie answered, feeling very
proud to have papa say this before everybody, and winked hard to
prevent the tears, that would come, from falling. Then, as the gondola
glided from the door, papa leaned over the side and waved his hand.
"Don't forget the responsibilities, Steve," he called out.

"I won't forget--sure," returned Stevie, waving back; but when Kate
asked what papa meant, he answered: "It's just something between papa
and me--nothing 'bout you," with such a mysterious air that of course
Kate immediately suspected a secret and entreated to be told. This
Stevie flatly refused to do, and they were on the verge of a quarrel
when Mehitabel's voice was heard calling them to come help her choose a
dessert for their five-o'clock dinner.

Stevie found the next few days what he called "very trying." You see,
by virtue of what his papa had said he co