s though it wasn't enough! A nice
harmless boy as ever was until that day that you came down. You don't
seem to understand. He's like a little old man. Chooses his words,
corrects my grammar, keeps himself so clean you can almost smell the
soap. What I say is that it isn't natural in a child of his age."

Burton smiled.

"Well, really," he said, "I don't see anything to worry about in what
you have told me."

"Don't you!" Ellen replied. "Well, just you listen to me and answer my
question. I left Alf alone with you while I changed my--while I looked
after the washing the day you came, and what I want to know is, did you
give him one of those things that you talked to me about?"

"I certainly did not," Burton answered.

Then a light broke in upon him. Ellen saw the change in his face.

"Well, what is it?" she asked sharply. "I can see you know all about
it."

"There were the two beans you threw out of the window," he said. "He
must have picked up one."

"Beans, indeed!" Ellen replied, scornfully. "Do you mean to tell me
that a bean would work all this mischief in the child?"

"I happen to know that it would."

"Comes of picking up things in the street!" Ellen exclaimed. "I'll give
it him when I get back, I will!"

"You must forgive me," Burton said, "but I really don't see what you
have to complain about. From what you tell me, I should consider the
boy very much improved."

"Improved!" Ellen repeated. "An unnatural little impudent scallywag of
a child! You don't think I want a schoolmaster in knickerbockers about
the place all the time? Found fault with my clothes yesterday, hid some
of the ornaments in the parlor, and I caught him doing a sketch of a
woman the other day with not a shred of clothes on. Said it was a copy
of some statue in the library. It may be your idea of how a boy nine
years old should go on, but it isn't mine, and that's straight."

Burton sighed.

"My dear Ellen," he said, "we do not look at this matter from the same
point of view, but fortunately as you will say, unfortunately from my
point of view, the change in Alfred is not likely to prove lasting. You
will find in another few weeks that he will be himself again."

"Don't believe it," Ellen declared. "He's as set in his ways now as a
little old man."

Burton shook his head.

"It won't last, I know it."

"Lasts with you all right!" she snapped.

Burton opened his little silver box.

"It lasts with me only as long as the