Lily Norris' Enemy. Mathews Joanna Hooe

further search proved vain, though Mrs. Norris looked, not only through each nook and partition of the secretary, but also all over the room. Still she was not at all disturbed at the non-appearance of the inkstand.

      "Send up and ask Tom, my dear," said Mr. Norris.

      "Oh, it is not necessary," said his wife. "He may have put it in some unusual place. If he took care of it, it is quite safe. He will be down presently, and I do not care to interrupt him."

      "See what it is to have a good character, Lily," said her father, passing his arm about the little figure on the arm of his chair, and smiling into the rosy mischievous face before him. "How long before mamma will be able to put such trust in you, do you think?"

      "Oh, very soon, papa; you'll see," said Lily, confident in the strength of her newly formed resolution.

      It was not long before Tom made good his mother's words by appearing, his lessons all ready for the next day, for it happened that he had not had much to do that evening; and Mrs. Norris immediately asked him, —

      "What did you do with my silver inkstand, my boy?"

      "I did not have it, mamma," was the answer.

      "But you put it away this afternoon, did you not?"

      "No," answered Tom, wonderingly, but positively.

      "Why, yes, Tom," said Lily, "you told me you had put away all mamma's things that she left on the table."

      "But there was no inkstand there," said Tom. "I remember noticing that, because I said to myself, 'Mamma has taken time to put by her ink;' and I supposed you had feared it would be spilled, mamma. There was no inkstand upon the table, I am sure."