“Come, Dexie, I can’t let you cry like this,” and he lifted her gently and placed her beside him.  “You will surely be sick if you do not control yourself, my dear.  It was too bad to vex you when there is so much depending on you; but it was done unintentionally, I know, and they will soon apologize when they know that the announcement has annoyed you.”

“But what will be the good of that?  An apology will not recall those handbills, which, I daresay, are all over the city.  But I’ll make them repent it; they’ll find that even a worm will turn if trampled on.”

“Tut, tut, what nonsense!  You are not a worm nor the kind of bird that eats the worm either—­but here’s Aunt Jennie.  Auntie, can’t you help me put a grain of sense into this silly girl’s pate?  She imagines she has been insulted by this bit of flattery, hence these tears,” and he held out the handbill for inspection.

“Why, Dexie, this will never do.  You will spoil your eyes for to-night, dear.  Nothing so very dreadful has happened, after all.  I was quite alarmed at Gussie’s account, and feared something serious had occurred.  Don’t be so foolish as to mind this bit of paper.”

But Dexie buried her face in her father’s shoulder and cried the more.

“Oh, it is too bad of you, auntie.  I thought you would care if I was abused, but nobody does, not even papa; but I’ll make somebody sorry, for I won’t go near their old concert,” and she jerked away from her father’s arms, and threw herself back on the bed.

Aunt Jennie motioned for Mr. Sherwood and Gussie to leave the room, thinking she might manage Dexie better alone, for this hysterical crying needed to be checked at once.  She sat down beside her and stroked the hot face until Dexie’s sobs had somewhat ceased.  Her gentle voice did much to soothe the tempest in Dexie’s breast, but she seemed to have lost her persuasive power for the time.

Mr. Sherwood went at once to his wife’s room to explain the cause of the disturbance.

“How inconsiderate of Dexie to cause so much annoyance!” was her fretful comment.  “I am quite sure I shall have the headache, for the way she slammed that door was enough to upset the strongest nerves.  I thought of going to the concert myself if I finished my book in time, but it seems my fate to be robbed of all pleasure.  Why don’t you use your authority, Clarence, and make her behave herself?”

“You must make some allowance for her, wife, for she feels much hurt over that announcement.  But the trouble is, what’s to be done if she persists in her determination not to appear?  I might insist on her going to the hall, but I doubt if I could make her whistle after she got there.”

“Well, if you do not use your authority you need not ask me to interfere.  She has quite upset me as it is.”

“It is not very often that she gets worked up like this.  I believe she controls her temper about as well as any of us.  She seldom lets her tongue loose as she used to do when things went wrong, but flies to her room and fights it out alone.  I expect those Gurneys have a good influence over our wilful Dexie.”