will never be so gay, and it will be years before either of them is as young. But it is quite a minute before we suspect this; we must look the other way while the Colonel dries her tears. He is quite a grizzled veteran, and is trying hard to pretend that having done without his children for so many years, a few minutes more is no great matter. His adorable Alice is this man's one joke. Some of those furrows in his brow have come from trying to understand her, he owes the agility of his mind to trying to keep up with her; the humorous twist in his mouth is the result of chuckling over her. She flutters across the room. 'Robert,' she says, thrilling. 'I daresay my Amy painted that table.' 'Yes, ma'am, she did,' says Fanny. 'Robert, Amy's table.' 'Yes, but keep cool, memsahib.' 'I suppose, ma'am, I'm to take my orders from you now,' the hard-hearted Fanny inquires. 'I suppose so,' Alice says, so timidly that Fanny is encouraged to be bold. 'The poor miss, it will be a bit trying for her just at first.' Alice is taken aback. 'I hadn't thought of that, Robert.' Robert thinks it time to take command. 'Fiddle-de-dee. Bring your mistress a cup of tea, my girl.' 'Yes, sir. Here is the tea-caddy, ma'am. I can't take the responsibility; but this is the key.' 'Robert,' Alice says falteringly. 'I daren't break into Amy's caddy. She mightn't like it. I can wait.' 'Rubbish. Give me the key.' Even Fanny cannot but admire the Colonel as he breaks into the caddy. 'That makes me feel I'm master of my own house already. Don't stare at me, girl, as if I was a housebreaker.' 'I feel that is just what we both are,' his wife says; but as soon as they are alone she cries, 'It's home, home! India done, home begun.' He is as glad as she.