You are too late, mother!" said Josie, in an exulting tone. "You are
too late!"

"It does not depend on you to decide," said Mrs. Gray; "it depends upon
Rosie."

"Well, mother, you are really too late," said Rosie. "You are two
minutes beyond the time, or a minute and a half, at the very least, when
you opened the door. So you must pay the fine."

"Yes; and you must pay it to me," said Josie. "I am the treasurer."

"But you have not heard my excuse yet," said Mrs. Gray. "You don't know
but that I have got a good excuse."

"Ah, that makes no difference, mother," said Josie. "Excuses go for
nothing."

"Indeed!" said Mrs. Gray. "Is that the agreement? Let us see, Rosie."

So Rosie took the paper out of her pocket, and with Josie's
assistance,--who looked over very eagerly all the time,--she found the
passage, and Josie read as follows, speaking the words in a very
distinct and emphatic manner:--

"'No excuses shall be heard, nor shall there be any release from the
fine, except,' and so forth, and so forth. So you see, mother, you can't
be excused."

"I see," said Mrs. Gray. "The language is very plain indeed; so I'll pay
the fine. I pay it very willingly. It would be very dishonorable in any
of us, after having deliberately adopted the rules, to manifest any
unwillingness to abide by them."

So Mrs. Gray took out of her pocket a small silver coin called a paul,
which Mr. George said was a good deal more than six cents, but which she
said was near enough to the amount of the fine, and paid it into Josie's
hands. Josie put it safely into a certain compartment of his wallet,
which he had set apart for the purpose.

The truth was, that Mrs. Gray contrived to be tardy that morning on
purpose, in order to set an example of exact and cheerful submission to
the law, and to give a practical illustration, in her own case, of the
strictness with which, when once enacted, such laws ought to be
enforced. She knew very well that if she had once submitted to be fined,
when she was only a minute and a half behind the time, and also to be
refused a hearing for her excuse, nobody could afterwards expect any
indulgence. The effect produced was just what she had intended, and the
whole party were extremely punctual all the way. There were only a few
fines assessed, and they were all paid at once, without any objection.

The road lay for a day through a small country called Tuscany. The
scenery was very beautiful. Although it wa