They went out on the lawn, ran about for a while, then settled themselves under a tree and began cracking and eating nuts.
Lulu, who was very fond of them, presently put one between her teeth and cracked it there.
"O Lu!" exclaimed Grace, "you forget that papa forbade you to crack nuts with your teeth, for fear you might break them." "Well, I wanted to break the nut," returned Lulu, laughing, and blushing because her conscience reproached her.
"I meant break your teeth," said Grace.

"I'm sure you wouldn't have done it--cracked the nut with them, I mean--if you hadn't forgotten that papa forbade you to do it." "No, Gracie, I'm not so good as you think; I did not forget; I just did it because I wanted to," Lulu said with an evident effort, and blushing again.
Then she sprang up and ran toward her father, who was seen at some little distance, coming from the orange orchard toward the house.
"I do believe she's going to tell on herself!" exclaimed Rosie, in astonishment.
"Oh, dear, I wonder what papa will do to her!" exclaimed Grace, just ready to burst into tears.
"It is very noble in her to go and confess at once, when he needn't have ever known anything about it," cried Eva admiringly.
They were all three watching Lulu and her father with intense interest, though too far away to hear anything that either one might say.
Lulu drew near him, hanging her head shamefacedly.

"Papa," she said, in a low, remorseful tone, "I have just been disobeying you." "Ah! I am sorry, very sorry, to hear it, daughter," he returned a little sadly; then, taking her hand, led her away further from the house and seated her and himself on a bench beneath a group of trees that entirely hid them from view.
"Tell me the whole story, my child," he said, not unkindly, and still keeping her hand in his.
"I cracked a nut with my teeth, papa," she replied, with her eyes upon the ground, her cheek hot with blushes.
"You forgot that I had forbidden it ?" "No, papa, I haven't even that poor excuse.

I remembered all the time that you had forbidden me, but just did it because I wanted to." "Though I had given you my reason for the prohibition--that you would risk serious damage to your teeth, and probably suffer both pain and the loss of those useful members in consequence.

It gives me pain to find that my dear eldest daughter cares so little for her father's wishes or commands." At that Lulu burst into tears and sobs.