Fifteen minutes later, two clean, but very solemn-looking children presented themselves at the library door.
“Children,” began Dr. Ward, sternly, as they stood before him, “you have disobeyed me. I told you to go immediately on an errand, and you loitered. The fact that the note happened to be important, does not render your disobedience any more serious, remember, although it makes the consequences more serious for me. You also gave way, both of you, to a very unladylike display of temper. As a punishment, I shall keep you apart all day. You must not even speak to each other. Eunice, you may go to your mother, and she will give you something to do, and Cricket may stay here in the library till dinner-time. You may learn something to occupy your time. Let me see. You may sit down and learn your Sunday-school lesson for to-morrow.”
“Oh, papa!” groaned Cricket, at the thought of really losing that beautiful day out-of-doors. “Please, please do something to us and let us go! I’d truly rather you’d give me three hard slaps with your ruler.”
“My dear little girl,” said the doctor, “you know I could not possibly give you three hard slaps, or even one hard slap, with the ruler; for that would hurt me rather more than it would you, and I think it is you two that deserve punishment.”
“I’ll go to bed earlier to-night, then, a whole hour,” pleaded Cricket, “if you will only let us speak to each other. I know we were dreadfully careless about the note, but I won’t forget again, truly, at least not for a long time.”
“No, it must stand as I said, my dear. Besides, you know you lost your tempers disgracefully with that little Mamie.”
“You needn’t take the trouble to punish us for spanking that Mamie,” Cricket burst out, on this, fairly swelling with wrath at the remembrance. “She just needed it, papa, for she’s such a horrid little thing, and such a tag-tail, and her mother never spanks her.”
“And anyway, papa,” struck in Eunice, her eyes flashing still, “I don’t mind if you do punish me for that, for it was such a satisfaction.”
“Well, well,” said papa, coughing behind his hand. “I really think you won’t do that again. And the next time you think that Mamie needs punishment, don’t try lynch-law, but refer to the higher powers.”
“I will, papa. What is lynch-law?”