_it_,
instead of those chalk-heads of which you are so fond."

"No, I wouldn't, papa," said Katie, whose gravity quickly returned.
"It's all very well for you to joke about it, and laugh at me, but I can
tell you that this account _won't_ balance; there is a two-and-sixpence
wrong somewhere, and you know it has to be all copied out and sent off
by the evening post to-morrow. I really can't understand why we are
called upon to make so many copies of all the accounts and papers for
that ridiculous Board of Trade; I'm sure they have plenty of idle clerks
of their own, without requiring us to slave as we do--for such a
wretched salary, too!"

Katie shook her curls indignantly, as she thought of the unjust demands
and inadequate remuneration of Government, and resumed her work, the
frowning brows and pursed coral lips giving evidence of her immediate
and total absorption in the accounts.

Old Mr Durant, still holding the newspaper upside down, and looking
over the top of it and of his spectacles at the fair accountant, thought
in his heart that if the assembled Board, of which his daughter spoke in
such contemptuous terms, could only behold her labouring at their books,
in order to relieve her father of part of the toil, they would
incontinently give orders that he should be thenceforth allowed a salary
for a competent clerk, and that all the accounts sent up from Yarmouth
should be bound in cloth of gold!

"Here it is, papa, I've got it!" exclaimed Katie, looking up with
enthusiasm similar to that which might be expected in a youthful
sportsman on the occasion of hooking his first salmon. "It was the
two-and-sixpence which you told me to give to--"

At that moment the outer door bell rang.

"There's cousin Fanny, oh, I'm _so_ glad!" exclaimed Katie, shutting up
her books and clearing away a multitude of papers with which the table
was lumbered; "she has promised to stay a week, and has come in time to
go with me to the singing class this afternoon. She's a darling girl,
as fond of painting and drawing almost as I am, and hates cats. Oh, I
do so love a girl that doesn't like cats. Eh, pussy, shall I tread on
your tail?"

This question was put to a recumbent cat which lay coiled up in earthly
bliss in front of the fire, and which Katie had to pass in carrying her
armful of books and papers to the sideboard drawer in which they were
wont to repose. She put out her foot as if to carry her threat into
execution.