st unmanned him.

"No."

"But you've got plenty of money!"

"I will not have it long if you are going to give it all away."

"You bought me some more shoes."

"Yes."

"That took money."

"Yes."

"I--I thought you'd give us anything we wanted."

"I have tried to, dear."

"But I shall want another coat."

He shook his head. "You deliberately gave away the one you had without
asking permission. I can't supply you with new clothes continually if
that is what you intend to do with them."

"Then how will I go to school any more?"

"You must wear the coat you had when you came here to live."

"So you hung onto that old gray Parker coat, did you?" she said
bitterly.

"Yes, and now you will have to wear it until spring comes."

She was silent a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and airily
retorted, "I s'pose you know! But, anyway, it was worth giving the new
coat away just to see how glad the Dago was to get it."

It was the President's turn to look surprised, and for an instant he was
at a loss to know what to say; then he took her hand and led her away to
the study, with the grave command, "Come, Peace, I think we will have to
see this out by ourselves."

She caught her breath sharply, but never having questioned his authority
since the days of the little brown house were over, she obediently
followed him into the dim library and heard the door click behind them.
As the gas flared up when he touched a match to the jet, she looked
apprehensively about the room, and shuddered as she saw the brass ruler
lying on top of a pile of papers on the desk. He even picked it up and
toyed with it for a moment, and she thought her hour of reckoning had
surely come. And it had, but not in the way she expected.

Dropping the ruler at length, he abruptly ordered, "Sit down in my lap,
Peace."

Usually he lifted her to that throne of honor himself, but this time he
made no effort to help her, and when she was seated with her face lifted
expectantly toward his, he disengaged the warm arms from about his neck
and turned her around on his knee until she was looking at the desk
straight in front of them. Then he picked up a book and began reading
silently.

Peace was plainly puzzled, for each time she turned her head to look at
him, he gently but firmly wheeled her about and went on reading. At last
she could be patient no longer, and with an angry little hop, she
demanded, "What's the fuss about, grandpa? What are you