A Day of Punishment 



"There's not enough sugar," I grum- 

 bled. 



'''Tis as much as you'll get, my dear," 

 she said, in a mild and exasperating tone, 

 not forgetful of that undue spread of 

 butter. Thereupon T leaned back in my 

 chair with my hands in my pockets, and 

 drubbed my shoes against the rail. 



'' Why, you've not eaten your ham yet ! ' 

 she exclaimed, with assumed surprise, 

 which grown people imagine will turn the 

 tide of childish ill-humour." 



" Don't like it," I said. 



''Fiddlesticks!" she replied, with a 

 mingle of cheeriness and sharpness in her 

 tone that grated on my nerves, and 

 humming to herself she went about her 

 work in the outhouse. She returned in the 

 course of a few minutes with a pile of 

 clean willow-pattern plates, and remarked, 

 as she arranged them on the dresser, "If 

 you are not going to eat any more you had 

 better be off to school, for it is very late 

 already." I might have gone of my own 

 accord if she had not said that, but that 

 just gave the cue to my devil. With the 

 utmost sangfroid I drew a tee-to-tum from 

 my pocket and began to spin it on the 

 bread trencher. 



Before I had guessed her intention 

 140 



