in," replied the culprit meekly, "you so often make
mistakes and put in some awful compound that I am obliged to guard
against being poisoned. Having a sincere affection for life, and not
being like Portia 'aweary of this great world,' I consider it my duty
to take all due precautions, and therefore _pardonnez-moi_ for tasting
the toffy."

The young cook drew her slight figure up and said with an air of
offended dignity, "I flatter myself that I am quite capable of making
excellent toffy, Richard Blake, and am well aware as to the proper
ingredients."

"Doubtless," with a sweeping bow, "but 'accidents will happen in the
best-regulated families;' and I remember how you substituted salt for
sugar the last time, and apparently never discovered your mistake till
you had dosed me with some of the vile concoction. It was cracking
stuff, I can assure you." Here Dick became thoroughly convulsed at the
remembrance of that disastrous night, and laughed so heartily that
Winnie fled to the rescue of her beloved toffy, and seized the spoon
from her brother's swaying hand.

"What an object you look!" she said scornfully, stirring the clear
brown liquid and inhaling its savoury odour with intense satisfaction.
"I don't see anything to laugh at;" and she began to hum the tune of an
old nursery rhyme, as if utterly indifferent to both Dick and his
laughter.

"Don't ape Madame Dignity, Win," gasped the awful boy in an almost
strangled condition; "lofty airs are not becoming to such a little
creature. You know perfectly well what a 'go' it was, and thought I
was about to 'shuffle off this mortal coil.'" Dick had a weakness for
Shakespeare. "Oh dear! when I reflect upon it all and remember the
taste--" but here Winnie was obliged to give in and join in his
merriment, for the boy's face of pretended disgust was too comical to
resist.

"Dick, you are dreadful!" she said at length, the tears streaming down
her cheeks and her voice still trembling with a lurking suspicion of
laughter. "Will you never forget that eventful night!"

"Never," replied her brother with mock gravity; "the remembrance is
printed indelibly on the records of my memory, and the taste remains
for ever fresh to my palate. Let us change the conversation, Win; the
subject is too much for my delicate constitution."

"I am quite agreeable," quoth the young lady composedly, "and in that
case allow your hands to be active and your tongue silent. I want the
tin