Eight cousins : or, The aunt-hill

162 EIGHT COUSINS.her ankle.She excused herself from the games in theevening, however, and sat talking to Uncle Alec in alively way, that both amazed and delighted him ;forshe confided to him that she played horse with thechildren, drilled with the light infantry, climbed trees,and did other dreadful things that would have causedthe aunts to cry aloud if they knew of them." I don't care a pin what they say if you don'tmind, uncle," she answered, when he pictured thedismay of the good ladies." Ah, it 's all very well to defy the7n, but you aregetting so rampant, I 'm afraid you will defy menext, and then where are we ? "" No, I won't ! I should n't dare ; because you aremy guardian, and can put me in a strait-jacket ifyou like;" and Rose laughed in his face, even whileshe nestled closer with a confiding gesture pleasant tosee." Upon my Avord, Rosy, I begin to feel like theman who bought an elephant, and then didn't knowwhat to do with him. I thought I had got a pet andplaything for years to come ; but here you are growingup like a bean-stalk, and I shall find I 've got astrong-minded little woman on my hands before I canturn round. There's a predicament for a man andan uncle ! "Dr. Alec's comic distress was mercifully relicA^ed forthe time being by a dance of goblins on the lawn,where the children, with pumpkin lanterns on theirheads, frisked about like will-o'-the-wisps, asa partingsurprise.When Rose went to bed, she found that Uncle