acter, or want of discipline, Mabel has
grown up to be a plague to us, instead of a comfort.'

This unwelcome truth was uttered by Mr. Ellis before he left home on the
morning after the visit to the Gardens; and he added, before he left the
room:

'I am very glad that your sister, Aunt Mary, is coming home this week,
for I intend to ask her as a particular favour to take Mabel under her
care. I wish we had sent her to Oak Villa twelve months ago; we might
have been spared much trouble.'

This parting rebuke and warning had the usual effect of making Mrs.
Ellis very nervous; she could not bear the thought of communicating the
ill news it contained to Mabel. She had come to have almost a childish
dread of the girl's temper, yet she knew well that her husband's mandate
must be obeyed. There could no greater trial come to Mabel, at least so
she thought, than to deprive her of the pleasure of this visit; and the
indulgent mamma shrunk with great pain from the task, which had been
imposed upon her: yet there was no escape.

As the girls had finished breakfast and left the room before their papa
went out, they of course had not heard his disagreeable intimation, and
they were now in their own rooms, looking over their dresses.

'What will you do, Mabel?' inquired Julia, 'about your silk frock? You
cannot possibly wear it to-day; it is quite spoiled in front with the
tea. I know mamma did not notice it last night, though she and papa were
so angry about your wearing it, and about the sleeves too.'

'Now just mind your own business, if you please,' said the uncourteous
Mabel. 'I hear,' she added, 'that papa has gone out, so I shall go down
and coax mamma to get a dress for me. I have seen plenty of pretty
dresses in the shop windows, some of them very cheap; I dare say she
won't object to buy me one.'

After the delivery of this speech Mabel hastily left the room, and, as
she had expected, found her mamma still seated in the breakfast-room,
but looking very sad.

She had not, however, at all _expected_ to hear the unwelcome truth
which had now to be told, and which greeted her on the first mention of
a new dress.

'You need not trouble yourself about a new dress, my dear Mabel,' said
her mother, sorrowfully. 'Your papa says, that he will not allow you to
go with your sister to Mrs. Maitland's party.'

'Not to go!' exclaimed the astonished girl; 'and do _you_, mamma, say
that I am not to go?' she inquired, actually st