MR, SMEETH GETS HIS RISE 507

She was making for the door,, but her father's shout
stopped her.

"Here, wait a minute/' he called out. Then, when
she halted, he threw a quick glance at her streaming
little face, looked across at her mother and then down
at the table-cloth, and said: "Well, I suppose you'd
better have a try at it then, Edna."

"Oo, can I?" She was all delighted eagerness now,
and darted across to him. "I can, can't I?"

Awkward, a trifle shamefaced, Mr. Smeeth made a
movement as if to put his arm round her, but apparently
thought better of it and merely patted her nearest
shoulder-blade. "That's all right," he muttered.
"That's all right."

"Can I go round and see her now?" said Edna, her
eyes shining and her feet dancing with impatience.
Then she flew out of the room.

"Well, Dad," said Mrs. Smeeth. "I won't say I'm
sorry you've decided that way, because I'm not. 1
believe it's what she's wanted some time. She doesn't
know whether she's on her head or her heels now.
Ah!"—and she gave a tremendous sigh—"I like to see
them happy. After all, we've only got to live once—"

"How do you know?" demanded her husband.

"Well, I don't know, if it comes to that, Mister
Clever," she retorted good-humouredly, "All the same,
I've a very good idea. But what I wanted to say is this,
Dad. I wasn't going to give her permission to start this
business. And don't say I persuaded you, because I
didn't. You did it yourself. You know what it means.
She'll be earning next to nothing for a year or two, and
though she'll have to pull herself in a bit now she's not
earning anything, she can't be kept on nothing. So