ater, and some
day you will marry some fellow, or you can keep house for me, and then,
when I am not with my ship or my regiment, of course I shall be with
you."

Poor Nettie! She had formed an idea that the possibilities of life ought
to include something more heroic for her than keeping house for her
brother, and she had determined that she would not sink herself in the
hum-drum of uneventful existence without some effort to avoid it; and so
it happened that that same evening, after doing her duty by the baby pup
and Tom's new cricket bat, she startled her father and mother by the
somewhat abrupt and altogether unexpected question,--

"Father, what am I going to be?"

"Be?" repeated her father, drawing her on to his knee, "why, be my good
little daughter as you always have been, Nettie. Are you tired of that,
dear?"

But no, Nettie was not tired of her father's love, and she had no idea
of being less affectionate because she wanted to be more wise and
useful, and so she returned her father's caresses with interest, and
treated her mother in the same way, so that there might be no jealousy;
and then, sitting down in the armchair with the air of one commanding
attention, harked back to the all-absorbing topic. "You know, father,
there's Minnie Roberts, isn't there?"

"What if there is?" replied her father.

"Well, you know she's going to the University, don't you, dad?"

"No, I didn't."

"Well, she is. Then she'll be a doctor, or professor, or something.
That's what I should like to be."

Mr. Anderson looked from his wife to his daughter with somewhat of
surprise on his face. He was a just man; and he and his wife had but
recently discussed the plans (including personal sacrifices) by which
Master Tom's advancement was to be secured. Really, that anything
particular needed to be done for Nettie had hardly occurred to him. He
had imagined her going on at the High School for another year, say, and
then settling down as mother's companion. His desire not to be harsh,
coupled with his unreadiness, led Mr. Anderson to temporise. "Well,
little girl," he said, "you plod on, and we'll have a talk about it."
Nettie was in a triumphant mood. She had expected repulse, to be
reminded of the terrible expense Tom was, and was to be, and she felt
the battle already won. Doubtless the fact that Nettie was heartened was
a great deal toward the success that was unexpectedly to dazzle her. She
worked hard at school, and yet so