"Oh! ah! I remember," he said at length, meeting his little niece's
anxious gaze with some embarrassment. Then pulling himself together, he
added sternly,--

"Of course you must be punished; it was exceedingly careless and
mischievous. What does your nurse do when she punishes you?"

"She never does punish me--not now," said Milly plaintively. "When I was
a very little girl I used to stand in the corner. I don't think nurse
has punished me for years."

Sir Edward was in a dilemma; children's punishments were quite unknown
to him. Milly seemed to guess at his difficulty.

"How were you punished when you were a little boy, uncle?"

"I used to be well thrashed. Many is the whipping that I have had from
my father!"

"What is a whipping--like you gave Fritz when he went into the game
wood?"

"Yes."

There was a pause. The child clasped her little hands tighter, and set
her lips firmer, as she saw before her eyes a strong arm dealing very
heavy strokes with a riding-whip. Then she said in an awe-struck tone,--

"And do you think that is how you had better punish me?"