erruption of a crowd of chatter-boxes."

So the three went into the house and stood together at a front window,
flattening their noses against the glass, as they looked out at their new
treasure. King was in the middle, behind his two sisters, with an arm
around both their necks, and he explained to them in a very learned way,
a great many points about the machine that they did not understand. His
explanations were far from being correct or true, but as he didn't know
that, nor the girls either, it really made no difference.

At last Pompton drove away with the car, and they watched it disappear
down the street, and then turned to greet Mr. Maynard as he entered.

Marjorie went straight up to her father, and stood in front of him.

"I do think you are the most wonderful Father in the whole world," she
said, eyeing him in a judicial manner.

"And the grandest!" said Kitty, snuggling herself in under his arm.

"And the tip-toppest!" declared King, grasping his father's other hand.

"Well, well!" exclaimed Mr. Maynard, dropping into an armchair, "I am
certainly catching some fine compliments! And I'd like to return them.
I don't mind confessing that I think you young people just about the
highest class of goods in the market!"

"But we're not as splendid as you are," said Marjorie, thoughtfully;
"because you do things for us, and we never do anything for you."

"Oh, yes, you do," returned her father; "you do all I want you to, by
just living, and growing, and trying to behave yourselves properly."

"But we don't always do that," said Kitty, with a repentant air.

"You do, Kit," said King, generously, "you're always good. Mops and I are
the ones that slip up."

"It's human nature to slip up occasionally," said Mr. Maynard, "but I
think on the whole my kiddies do pretty well. Now, as you know, we start
to-morrow for Grandma Sherwood's, and while I'm not going to give you a
lecture on the subject, I _am_ going to ask you to behave pretty fairly
well while you're at her house. You know she's not as young as she once
was, and a lot of mischievous children may make her a great deal of
trouble if they wish to,--or they can refrain from doing so. Need I say
any more?"

"Not another word, Father," declared Marjorie; "I promise to be as good
as pie,--custard pie!"

"And I'll be as good as mince pie," said King, "you can't beat that!"

"Yes, I can," said Kitty; "I shall be as good as lemon meringue
pie,--with a high,