'What remains for us to do?' Alice went on in her mild, wise way.
'We must educate, we must pretend in a new manner, we must wait.'

The colonel clenched his teeth, - four out in front, and a piece of
another, and he had been twice dragged to the door of a dentist-
despot, but had escaped from his guards.  'How educate?  How
pretend in a new manner?  How wait?'

'Educate the grown-up people,' replied Alice.  'We part to-night.
Yes, Redforth,' - for the colonel tucked up his cuffs, - 'part to-
night!  Let us in these next holidays, now going to begin, throw
our thoughts into something educational for the grown-up people,
hinting to them how things ought to be.  Let us veil our meaning
under a mask of romance; you, I, and Nettie.  William Tinkling
being the plainest and quickest writer, shall copy out.  Is it
agreed?'

The colonel answered sulkily, 'I don't mind.'  He then asked, 'How
about pretending?'

'We will pretend,' said Alice, 'that we are children; not that we
are those grown-up people who won't help us out as they ought, and
who understand us so badly.'

The colonel, still much dissatisfied, growled, 'How about waiting?'

'We will wait,' answered little Alice, taking Nettie's hand in
hers, and looking up to the sky, 'we will wait - ever constant and
true - till the times have got so changed as that everything helps
us out, and nothing makes us ridiculous, and the fairies have come
back.  We will wait - ever constant and true - till we are eighty,
ninety, or one hundred.  And then the fairies will send US
children, and we will help them out, poor pretty little creatures,
if they pretend ever so much.'

'So we will, dear,' said Nettie Ashford, taking her round the waist
with both arms and kissing her.  'And now if my husband will go and
buy some cherries for us, I have got some money.'

In the friendliest manner I invited the colonel to go with me; but
he so far forgot himself as to acknowledge the invitation by
kicking out behind, and then lying down on his stomach on the
grass, pulling it up and chewing it.  When I came back, however,
Alice had nearly brought him out of his vexation, and was soothing
him by telling him how soon we should all be ninety.

As we sat under the willow-tree and ate the cherries (fair, for
Alice shared them out), we played at being ninety.  Nettie
complained that she had a bone in her old back, and it made her
hobble; and Alice sang a song in an old woman's way, but it was
very pretty, and we were all merry.  At least, I don't know about
merry exactly, but all comfortable.

There was a most tremendous lot of cherries; and Alice always had
with her some neat little bag or box or case, to hold things.  In
it that night was a tiny wine-glass.  So Alice and Nettie said they
would make some cherry-wine to drink our love at parting.

Each of us had a glassful, and it was delicious; and each of us
drank the toast, 'Our love at parting.'  The colonel drank his wine
last; and it got into my head directly that it got into his
directly.  Anyhow, his eyes rolled immediately after he had turned
the glass upside down; and he took me on one side and proposed in a
hoarse whisper, that we should 'Cut 'em out still.'

'How did he mean?' I asked my lawless friend.

'Cut our brides out,' said the colonel, 'and then cut our way,
without going down a single turning, bang to the Spanish main!'

We might have tried it, though I didn't think it would answer; only
we looked round and saw that there was nothing but moon-light under
the willow-tree, and that our pretty, pretty wives were gone.  We
burst out crying.  The colonel gave in second, and came to first;
but he gave in strong.

We were ashamed of our red eyes, and hung about for half-an-hour to
whiten them.  Likewise a piece of chalk round the rims, I doing the
colonel's, and he mine, but afterwards found in the bedroom
looking-glass not natural, besides inflammation.  Our conversation
turned on being ninety.  The colonel told me he had a pair of boots
that wanted soling and heeling; but he thought it hardly worth
while to mention it to his father, as he himself should so soon be
ninety, when he thought shoes would be more convenient.  The
colonel also told me, with his hand upon his hip, that he felt
himself already getting on in life, and turning rheumatic.  And I
told him the same.  And when they said at our house at supper (they
are always bothering about something) that I stooped, I felt so
glad!

This is the end of the beginning-part that you were to believe
most.

PART II. -  ROMANCE.  FROM THE PEN OF MISS ALICE RAINBIRD (Aged
seven.)

THERE was once a king, and he had a queen; and he was the manliest
of his sex, and she was the loveliest of hers.  The king was, in
his private profession, under government.  The queen's father had
been a medical man out of town.