"Patricia," he said, as she came to stand before him, "I met
Miss Carrol this afternoon."
"Yes, Daddy." Patricia's thoughts flew rapidly backward; had she been
doing anything very dreadful?
"She tells me that you have been tardy very frequently of late,
Patricia."
"Y-yes, Daddy."
"And yet you usually appear to start in good season?"
"Yes, Daddy; it--it doesn't seem to be the _starting_ early.
It's--such a lot of things always do seem to happen on the way."
"What kind of things, Patricia?"
"Well, you see, Daddy, there are such a lot of babies all along, they
just expect to be noticed; and sometimes I go for some of the girls and
they've something to do and I wait to help; and sometimes I go an errand
for old Mrs. Daly--you know she hasn't any one to go at home. If you
were with me you'd understand, Daddy."
The doctor smiled. "Oh, I understand all right, Patricia; still, this
being late for school has got to stop. Suppose every one in the room
came just a little late?"
"They don't," Patricia said; "most of the girls hate it."
"And you must learn to hate it too; as a means to that end, if it
happens again this week it must be only the yard on Saturday, Patricia.
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