"You will mind nothing to have your way—obstinate little thing!—but I warn you: you must come in without knocking, without saying good morning; you must not move, speak, or go in and out; if you break the agreement once, you lose the privilege for ever."
"I shall not break the agreement, Cornelius."
"Of course you won't," he said, looking both provoked and amused, "catch me again passing my word to you, Miss Bums."
I half feared he was vexed, but he was not, for when Deborah brought in the tea-tray, with the addition of fried ham and eggs, Cornelius, instead of putting me away, kept me on his knee.
"The O'Reillys always had good appetites," observed Miss O'Reilly, who stood looking on, enjoying the vigour with which her brother attacked her good-cheer. "Daisy, what are you perched up there for? Come down directly."
"Stay, Daisy," said Cornelius, "you are not in my way." And indeed, from the fashion in which everything vanished before him, I do not think I was. But Miss O'Reilly was of a different opinion, for she resumed impatiently—
"Now, Cornelius, you need not feed that child from your plate; she left half her own tea, and she drinks yours, because it is yours."
Cornelius was holding his cup to my lips. He smiled, and kissed me.
"Yes, pet her now," said Kate, "after getting her unjustly punished."
"It was thoughtless of me—I beg her pardon."