EFFIE'S BUSINESS 213 



reader, "why did Mr Dashwood go 'way Satur- 

 day? " 



" I'm sure I don't know," replied the girl, with 

 a start. " "What makes you ask? " 



" I don't know," replied Effie. 



Miss Grimshaw glanced sideways at her com- 

 panion. Effie had lost considerably the elfish 

 look that had been a striking feature in the child 

 during her long imaginary illness, but she had 

 not lost it entirely ; there was still something old- 

 fashioned and vaguely uncanny about her at times, 

 and she had, without doubt, now and then, the 

 trick of saying things so apposite as to hint at a 

 more than natural intelligence. Parrots have this 

 pecuKarity too. 



" If I tell you something," said Effie, suddenly, 

 " you won't tell it to anyone else, will you? " 



*" No." 



" Say ' 'Pon my honoiu-.' " 



" 'Pon my honour." 



" Well, I heard something." 



"What did you hear? " 



" I heard Mr Dashwood saying he was an ass." 



" Effie," said Miss Grimshaw, hurriedly, " you 

 must never repeat things you hear." 



" There you go! " said Effie. " And you told 

 me to." 



" I didn't." 



" You did. You said, ' What did you hear? ' " 



" Yes, but I did not know it was anything that 

 Mr Dashwood said." 



