Mr. Lloyd, who had evidently been much amused at the conversation, now joined in it by drawing Bert toward him and asking, in a half-serious, half-humorous tone:
"Is my boy Bert afraid of little girls?"
Bert's face flushed till it was crimson, and dropping his head upon his breast, he muttered:
"I'm not afraid of them, but I don't like 'em, and I don't want to go to school with 'em."
The fact of the matter was that Bert not only had his full share of the repugnance to the other sex common to all boys of his age, but he had besides a strong notion that it was not a manly thing to go to school with girls, and if there was one thing more than another that he aspired after, it was manliness.
Mr. Lloyd thoroughly understood his son's feelings, and felt disposed to humour them. Accordingly, lifting up his head, he gave him a kiss on the forehead, saying:
"Very well, Bert; we'll see about it. Since you have such decided objections to Miss Goggles'—I beg her pardon, Miss Poster's—excellent establishment, I will make inquiry, and see if I cannot find something that will suit you better. I want you to like your school, and to take an interest in it."
Bert's face fairly beamed at these words, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief which brought another smile out on his father's countenance.
"You're such a good father," said Bert, hugging his knees, and there the matter dropped for a few days.
When it came up again, Mr. Lloyd had a new proposition to make. In the interval he had been making some inquiries, and had been recommended to send his boy to a school just lately established by an accomplished young lawyer, who had adopted that method of earning an honest penny while waiting for his practice to become more lucrative. It was a good deal of an experiment, Mr. Lloyd thought but possibly worth trying.