Mrs George de Horne Vaizey

Tom and Some Other Girls Mrs George de Horne Vaizey

"Yes, she must go to school!" repeated Mr Chester. A plaintive sob greeted his words from the neighbourhood of the sofa. Foronce in her life Mrs Chester's kindly, good-tempered face had lost its smiles, and was puckered up into lines of distress. She let one fat, be-ringed handdrop to her side and wander restlessly over the satin skirt in search of apocket. Presently out came a handkerchief, which was applied to each eye inturn, and came away bedewed with tears."It will break my heart to part from her!" she faltered. Her husband laughedwith masculine scepticism."Oh, nonsense, dear," he said; "hearts are not so easily broken. You are toosensible to grieve over what is for the child's good, and will get used to theseparation, as other mothers have done before you. It will be the making ofRhoda to leave home for a few years, to mix with other girls, and find herlevel. She is getting an altogether exaggerated idea of her own importance!