and I will, and dad
likes me to do it.'

'I could clean his brass fender, I'm sure.'

'No you couldn't; only girls can clean; boys can't, never!'

'Boys clean shop windows and sweep floors, I've seen them.'

'Well, anyhow you can't, you don't know how, and mother said I was to.'

This unanswerable argument always crushed Bobby.

Saturday afternoons were a great delight to the children, for Mr.
Allonby always gave himself up to them then, and took them out with him
sight-seeing. They visited the Zoo in this way, the Tower, Madame
Tussaud's, the British Museum, St. Paul's, and Westminster Abbey, and
many other places of interest and amusement.

On Sunday morning their father always took them to church. In the
afternoon he would smoke in his little study; and they were allowed to
be with him, and have their tea there as a treat. Occasionally Mr.
Allonby would try to give them a Bible lesson; very often they would
tell him a Bible story.

'I want to bring you up as your mother would have done,' he said to
True one day.

'We'll bring ourselves along, dad,' she responded cheerfully; 'we're
trying hard to be good, and we pray to God to manage us when we can't
remember in time.'

'Father,' said Bobby one Sunday afternoon, 'do you fink I could ever
save your life?'

'I don't know, I'm sure, sonny. What makes you ask?'

'In my reading lesson yesterday--it was about the mouse who saved a
lion--it was very difficult to think how he could; but he reely did it,
didn't he?'

'Yes, and I suppose you think it applies to you. Well, now, let us
think. I must be put in prison somewhere, and you must come and let me
out.'

'But you'd have to be wicked to be put in prison,' objected True. 'You
couldn't be wicked, dad.'

'I hope I couldn't, but I don't know. I think I would rather not get
into such a scrape, Bobby.'

'I should like to do somefing for you,' said Bobby with wistful eyes.

'Why?' asked his father.

Bobby coloured up. If he had followed his natural instinct he would
have flung himself into his father's arms and exclaimed, 'Because I
love you so.'

But Mr. Allonby was not a demonstrative father, and Bobby was learning
to control and hide his feelings.

'Well, I promise you, sonny, to call upon you when I do get into
trouble,' said Mr. Allonby, with a twinkle in his eye.

And Bobby hugged this promise to his heart and waited in content.

One afternoon True and he were looking out of the sitti