Part 16 (1/2)

”Let it go at that!” ordained the Master ”Don't spoil your own fun, by trying to find out, beforehand Be a good sportsman”

”Fun!” snarled Cyril ”What's the fun of secrets? I want to know--”

”It's snowing,” observed the Mistress, as a handful of flakes began to drift past the s, tossed along on a puff of wind

”I want to KNOW!” half-wept the child; angry at the change of subject, and noting that the Mistress wastoward the next room, with Lad at her heels ”Come back and tell me!”

He stamped after her to bar her way Lad was between the irate Cyril and the Mistress In babyish rage at the dog's placid presence in his path, he drew back one ungainly foot and kicked the astonished collie in the ribs

At the outrage, Lad spun about, a growl in his throat But he forbore to bite or even to show his teeth The growl had been of indignant protest at such unheard-of treathtily to his cave, and lay down there

But the hu only humans The Mistress cried out, in sharp protest at the little brute's action And the Master leaned forward, swinging Cyril clear of the ground Holding the child firhness, the Master steadied his own voice as best he could; and said:--

”This time you've not even bothered to wait till our backs were turned

So don't waste breath by crying and saying you didn't do it You're notto But I want you to know you've just kicked so that's worth fifty of you”

”You let me down!” Cyril snarled

”Lad is too white and clean and square to hurt anything that can't hit back,” continued the Master ”And you are not That's the difference between you One of the several million differences,--all of the cruel to dun for the way he's due to treat his fellow-humans in later years,--if ever any of them are at his mercy For your own sake, learn to behave at least as decently as a dog If--”

”You letwith impotent fury ”You let me down! I--”

”Certainly,” assented the Master, lowering him to the floor ”I didn't hurt you I only held you so you couldn't run out of the rooht you putting red pepper on Lad's food He--”

”You wouldn't dare touchbully!”

screeched the child, in a veritableat the mouth ”But I'll tell 'elike Lad And Daddy'll lick you for it See if he don't! He--”

The Master could not choke back a laugh; though the poor Mistress looked horribly distressed at the ly to check it She, like the Master, re mother had spoken of the child's occasional fits of red wrath But this was the first glimpse either of them had had of these

Hitherto, craft had served Cyril's turn better than fury

At sound of the Master's unintentional laugh the unfortunate child went quite beside hie

”I won't stay in your nasty old house!” he shrieked ”I' to tell 'em how you hammered a little feller that hasn't any folks here to stick up for hiram to Daddy and Mother to come save me I--”

To the astonishly in his yelled tirade; caught up a bibelot from the table, hurled it with all his puny force at Lad, the innocent cause of the fracas; and then rushed from the room and from the house

The Mistress stared after hi sla direfully in her ears It was the Master who ended the instant's hush of arown ain,” he mused, ”I always set him down for a liar But, for once in my life, I honestly wish I was a boy, once er and one inch shorter and one pound lighter than Cyril I'd follow hi of his sweet young life

I'd--”

”Oh, do call hied the Mistress ”He'll catch his death of cold, and--”

”Why will he?” challenged the Master, without stirring ”For all his noble rage, I noticed he took thought to grab up his cap and his overcoat from the hall, as he wafted himself away And he still had his arctics on, from this afternoon He won't--”