“Because—­because—­I—­I’m afraid people have heard about—­about how bad I was the other day; and—­so I—­I can’t bear to go where I’ll—­be seen by strangers.  No, I mean by folks out of the house that know who I am, and what happened the other day.”

“My child, I am sorry for you,” he said, taking her on his knee; “but it is a part of the punishment you have brought upon yourself, and will have to bear.”

“But let me stay at home to-morrow, won’t you?”

“No:  it is a duty to go to church, as well as a privilege to be allowed to do so.

“’Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is,’ the Bible says; so I cannot allow you to absent yourself from the services of the sanctuary when you are able to attend.

“As I have told you before, I must obey the directions I find in God’s Word, and, as far as lies in my power, see that my children obey them too.”

“I’d rather take a whipping than go to-morrow,” she muttered, half under her breath.

“I hope you are not going to be so naughty that you will have to do both,” he said very gravely.  “You have been a very good girl to-day, and I want you to end it as such.”

“I mean to, papa; I’d be ashamed to be naughty after all you have done for me, and given me to-day:  and I mean to be pleasant about going to church to-morrow; though it’ll be ever so hard, and I’m sure you wouldn’t want to go if you were me.”

“If you were I,” he corrected.  “No:  if I were you, I suppose I should feel just as you do; but the question is not what we want to do, but what God bids us do.

“Jesus said, ‘If ye love me, keep my commandments.’  ’He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me.’

“It is the dearest wish of my heart to see my children his followers, showing their love to him by an earnest endeavor to keep all his commandments.”

“Papa, you always want to do right, don’t you?” she asked.  “I mean, you like it; and so it’s never hard for you as it is for me?”

“No, daughter, it is sometimes very far from being easy and pleasant for me to do what I feel to be my duty; for instance, when it is to inflict pain upon you, or another of my dear children, or deny you some indulgence that you crave.  I should like to grant your request of to-night, if I could feel that it would be right; but I cannot, and therefore must deny it.”

Lulu acquiesced in the decision with a deep sigh, and half hoped that something—­a storm, or even a fit of sickness—­might come to prevent her from having to go to church.

But Sunday morning was as bright and clear as the one before it, and she in perfect health; so there was no escape from the dreaded ordeal.

She ventured upon no further entreaty, knowing it would be altogether useless, and quite as much from love to her father, and a real desire to please him, as from fear of punishment, behaved herself as well as possible.