as. And I am
grieved to have to tell you that this is just what he did do later in
the evening, and sat down in his private room and read about Roger and
Angelica himself.

"Here's a good one," said Mistletoe. "Number 39, in the Appendix to
Part Fourth. Chop two pounds of leeks and----"

"But I may not be here to taste it," said Elaine.

"Bless the child!" said Mistletoe. "And where else would you be on
Christmas-day but in your own house?"

"Perhaps far away. Who knows?"

"You haven't gone and seen a young man and told him----"

"A young man, indeed!" said Elaine, with a toss of her head. "There's
not a young man in England I would tell anything save to go about his
business."

Miss Elaine had never seen any young men except when they came to dine
on Sir Godfrey's invitation; and his manner on those occasions so awed
them that they always sat on the edge of their chairs, and said, "No,
thank you," when the Baron said, "Have some more capon?" Then the
Baron would snort, "Nonsense! Popham, bring me Master Percival's
plate," upon which Master Percival invariably simpered, and said that
really he did believe he _would_ take another slice. After these
dinners, Miss Elaine retired to her own part of the house; and that
was all she ever saw of young men, whom she very naturally deemed a
class to be despised as silly and wholly lacking in self-assertion.

"Then where in the name of good saints are you going to be?" Mistletoe
went on.

"Why," said Elaine, slowly (and here she looked very slyly at the old
Governess, and then quickly appeared to be considering the lace on her
dress), "why, of course, papa would not permit me to sacrifice myself
for one dragon or twenty dragons."

"What!" screamed Mistletoe, all in a flurry (for she was a fool).
"What?"

"Of course, I know papa would say that," said Miss Elaine, demure as
possible.

"Oh, mercy me!" squeaked Mistletoe; "we are undone!"

"To be sure, I might agree with papa," said the artful thing, knowing
well enough she was on the right track.

"Oo--oo!" went the Governess, burying her nose in the household
cookery-book and rocking from side to side.

"But then I might not agree with papa, you know. I might think,--might
think----" Miss Elaine stopped at what she might think, for really she
hadn't the slightest idea what to say next.

"You have no right to think,--no right at all!" burst out Mistletoe.
"And you sha'n't be allowed to think. I'll tell Sir Godfr