OCTOBER 197 



platform to another, the porter carrying my smaller 

 luggage, when he looked back over his shoulder 

 and said with paternal solicitude 



" Don't you hurry, ma'am. We always looks after 

 the sex ; it's the only good thing we've got left." 



I daresay there are some persons who would fail 

 to understand why I began to feel happy at once, 

 and was enabled almost to enjoy the remainder of 

 the journey. 



I brought back with me a small nephew and niece 

 on an indefinite visit, and they shock our other 

 guests by their invariable greeting, " We've come 

 to stay wif auntie because muvver's nearly dead." 

 They are callous little creatures, and it is impossible 

 to touch their hard hearts. I ventured when Basil 

 was naughty this morning to say to him 



" If you are not a good boy, Basil, I shan't love 

 you any more." 



"And I'm not loving you now," was the unabashed 

 reply. 



He is very anxious to understand the manner of 

 his first creation, and questioned me very closely. 



" Did God say ' Let there be Basil,' and there 

 was Basil?" 



Thereupon I thought it would interest him to 

 hear about a great fire which I had seen when I was 

 away, and was proceeding with a vivid description 

 when he yawned audibly, and said 



"Yes, thank you, auntie, but now tell us about 

 hell fire." 



I did not feel competent to describe hell fire, and 

 my nephew has a poor opinion of me in conse- 

 quence. 



