Her Birthday

shine some morning, and give the whole day
to the quest.

We lowly folk dine before most people
think of lunching, and so dinner was ready
when we arrived home. Now, as decorum
at table is one of the cardinal virtues W. V.
dines by proxy. It is her charming young
friend Gladys who gives us the pleasure of
her company. It is strange how many things
this bewildering daughter of mine can do as
Gladys, which she cannot possibly accom-
plish as W. V. W. V. is unruly, a chatter-
box, careless, or at least forgetiul, of the
elegances of the social board; whereas
Gladys is a model of manners, an angel in a
bib. W. V. cannot eat crusts, and rebels
against porridge at breakfast ; Gladys idolises
crusts, and as for porridge— “I am sur-
prised your little girl does not like porridge.
It is so good for her.”

After dinner, as I lay smoking in the gar-
den lounge to-day, I fell a-thinking of W. V.
and Gladys, and the numerous other little
maids in whom this tricksy spirite has been

II