“No,” he said, caressing her hair and cheek with his hand, “I have no reproof to administer, and yet what I have to say will not be pleasant to you; but my little daughter must try to believe that her father knows best and loves her too well to require of her any thing but what he deems for her best interests.”
“I’ll try, papa,” she responded, but with a troubled, anxious look stealing over her face. “I can’t think what it can be! Oh it can’t be that you’re tired teaching me and are going to send me to school?”
“Not quite so bad as that,” he said. “I am not tired of teaching you or the others; I find it sweet work, because you are all my own dear children; but I am not qualified to instruct you in the accomplishments I wish you to have, and therefore must employ some one else to do so. Your musical education has been neglected of late, but now I have engaged a teacher for you and you will take your first lesson from him this afternoon.”
“From him? then it’s a man! Oh papa, I don’t want a man teacher! won’t you please let me be taught by a lady?”
“My darling, I want you to have the very best instruction, and from all I can hear, there seems to be no one else anywhere in this neighborhood so capable of imparting it as this gentleman.”
“But I don’t want to take lessons of him, papa: for he’ll be sure to be cross and hateful and put me in a passion, and—and then you’ll—you’ll have to punish me; and you won’t like that any better than I will,” she added, putting her arm round his neck and gazing beseechingly into his eyes.
“My darling, I think you may dismiss that fear,” he said, again stroking her hair caressingly, “for it is my intention always to be present when you are taking your lesson, and see that you are not ill-used, as well as that you do not misbehave.”
“Then maybe I can stand it,” she sighed; “for I don’t believe he’ll dare to strike me or do any thing very bad to me if you are there to see. You won’t let him, will you, papa?”
“No. I have already told him that if my little girl should be so naughty as to make it necessary to punish her in any way, I shall be the one to attend to it. I will not allow any one else to attempt it.”
“And you don’t like to do it either?”