Melbourne House Part 106

"Have you nothing to say to express your pleasure, Daisy?" ?

This was Mrs. Randolph's question.

Daisy at the word p.r.o.nounced a sober "I thank you, aunt Gary."

But it was so very sober and pa.s.sionless that Mrs. Randolph grew impatient.

"I do not hear you express any pleasure, Daisy," she said, meaningly.

Daisy turned her face towards her mother with a doubtful look, and was silent.

"Speak!" said Mrs. Randolph.

"What, mamma?"

"Whatever you choose, to show your sense of your aunt's kindness."

"Do not concern yourself, my dear," said her sister. "I am sorry if I have failed in meeting Daisy's taste ? that is all."

"Daisy, speak, or leave the room" ? said Mrs. Randolph.

"Mamma," said Daisy, pushed into a corner, "I would speak, but I do not know what to say."

"Tell your aunt Gary she has given you a great deal of pleasure."

Daisy looked again mutely at her mother, somewhat distressed.

"Tell her so, Daisy!" Mrs. Randolph repeated, in a tone of command.

"I cannot, mamma ?" the child answered, sorrowfully.

"Do you mean to tell your aunt that her exquisite present gives you _no_ pleasure?"

"I did not intend to tell her so," Daisy answered, in a low voice. Another storm rising! Storms seemed to get up very easily in these days.

"My dear," said Mrs. Gary, "do not concern yourself. It is not of the least consequence, as far as I am concerned. Preston, remove this box. If Daisy chooses to receive it, perhaps it will find more favour at another time."

Mrs. Gary got up and moved off.

"Mr. Randolph, I will trouble you to dismiss Daisy," said his wife. "If she cannot behave properly she cannot be in the room with me."

Daisy was still standing with her hand on her father's knee.

The other little hand came for a moment across her brows and rested there; but she would not cry; her lip did not even tremble.

"First let me understand," said her father; and he lifted Daisy on his knee kindly. "Daisy, I never saw you uncivil before."

"Papa, I am very sorry ?" said the child.

"Can you explain it?"

"Papa, I would have been civil if I could; but I had nothing to say."

"That is the very place where a person of good manners shows himself different from a person who has no manners at all.

Good manners finds something to say."

"But, papa, there was nothing _true_."

"The doll gave you no pleasure?"

"No, papa," said Daisy, low.

"And you felt no obligation for the thoughtfulness and kindness of your aunt in getting for you so elegant a present?"

Daisy hesitated and flushed.

"Daisy, answer," said her father, gravely.

"No, papa," ? Daisy said, low as before.

"Why not?"

"Papa," said Daisy, with a good deal of difficulty and hesitation ? "that is all pa.s.sed ? I do not want to say anything more about it."

"About what?"

"About ? papa, I do not think mamma would like to have me talk about it."

"Go on, Daisy. ? About what?"

"All that trouble we had, papa."

"What I want to know is, why you did not feel grateful for your aunt's kindness just now, which she had been at some pains to show you."

"Papa," said Daisy, wistfully, ? "it was not kindness ? it was pay; and I did not want pay."

"Pay? For what?"

"For my Egyptian spoon, papa."

"I do not understand what you are talking of, Daisy."

"No, papa," said Daisy; so simply showing her wish that he should not, as well as her knowledge that he did not, that Mr.

Randolph could not forbear smiling.

"But I mean to understand it," he said.

"It was my old Egyptian spoon, papa; the doll was meant to be pay for that."

A little explanation was necessary in order to bring to Mr.

Randolph's mind the facts Daisy referred to, the spoon itself and the time and occasion when it was bestowed on her.