"Oh, Margie, you dear," I whispered.

"You called me 'Margie'!" she cried in horror.

"I meant 'Mummy.' Good night."

One, two, three seconds passed rapidly.

"It's morning," said a bright voice in my ear. "Get up."

"I'm very ill," I pleaded; "I want to stay in bed all day."

"But your dear uncle," said Margery, inventing hastily, "came last night
after you were in bed, and stayed 'e night. Do you see? And he wants you
to sit on him in bed and talk to him."

"Where is he? Show me the bounder."

"'Ere he is," said Margery, pointing at me.

"But look here, I can't sit on my own chest and talk to myself. I'll
take the two parts if you insist, Sir Herbert, but I can't play them
simultaneously. Not even Irving----"

"Why can't you play them simrulaleously?"

"Well, I can't. Margie, will you let me go to sleep?"

"Nope," said Margery, shaking her head.

"You should say, 'No thank you, revered and highly respected Uncle.'"

"No _hank_ you, Mr. Cann."

"I have already informed you that my name is not Bingle and I have now
to add that neither is it Cann."

"Why neiver is it Cann?"

"That isn't grammar. You should say, 'Why can it not either?'"

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Say prehaps."

"No, I can't even say prehaps."

"Well, say I shall understand when I'm a big girl."

"You'll understand when you're a big girl, Margery," I said solemnly.

"Oh, I see."

"That's right. Now then, what about going to sleep?"

She was silent for a moment, and I thought I was safe. Then.

"Uncle, just tell me--why was 'at little boy crying vis morning?"

"Which little boy?"

"Ve one in 'e road."

"Oh, that one. Well, he was crying because his Uncle hadn't had any
sleep all night, and when he tried to go to sleep in the afternoon----"

"Say prehaps again."

My first rejected contribution! I sighed and had another shot. "Well,
then," I said gallantly, "it must have been because he hadn't got a
sweet little girl of three to play with him."

"Yes," said Margery, nodding her head thoughtfully, "'at was it."

VI. A TWICE TOLD TALE

"Is that you, uncle?" said a voice from the nursery, as I hung my coat
up in the hall. "I've only got my skin on, but you can come up."

However, she was sitting up in bed with her nightgown on when I found
her.

"I was having my bath when you came," she explained. "Have you come all
the way from London?"

"All the way."

"Then will you tell me a story?"

"I can't