Rosy

me, made

of self-s

TO

ittle troubles among the children sometimes, but compared with a w

ne all the good. Not that Miss Pink was not ready to praise Rosy too, and in a way that would have done her no good either, if Rosy had cared enough for her to think much of her praise or her blame. But one word or look even from her mother was getti

would take it, for since the night she had found Rosy sobbing in bed they had never again talked together quite so

p quickly wh

ice things lately. If anything was to come to vex me very much, I daresay it would be j

e knew, for Rosy not to feel too sure of herself, but still she went too far that way. She almost ta

Bee?" she said, as Bee

" said Bee. "Only I think you are a little wrong. You should tr

hook h

want to try," and Beata felt she could not say any more, onl

of hers living a few miles off, wanted to see her, to talk over a plan she had in her head for a birthday treat to her two little daughters. These two children were twins; they were a lit

he schoolroom a moment in passing, and kissed the little girls, smiling, and seeming very

ve been settling," she said, nodding

e, or prevent their running about freely. Lady Esther's idea was that the children should be dressed in sets, which would look very pretty when they came into the big hall to dance before leaving. Lady Esther had proposed that Rosy and Bee should be dressed as the pretty French queen, Marie Antoinette, whom no doubt you have heard of, and her sister-in-law the good princess, Mada

s of the dresses she proposed to have, and the

y beads, mamm

incent

y clapped her hands with delight, and

h off. Do not talk or think about it too much, or you will t

ve off talking about the promised treat. She was tiresome and careless at her lessons, and Miss Pink was not firm enough to check her. Morning, noon, and night, Rosy went

though they still had their own breakfast earlier than the big people, in the nursery with Martha, Beata noticed that Rosy's

auntie?" for so Rosy's mo

ly, and a few minutes after, when Mr. Vincent had gone out to spea

do you remember my advising you not to talk or

" said Rosy, though in a r

e birthday party. I wanted it to have been nothing but pleasure to you. But Miss Pink has told me she does not know what to do with you-

do just what you said," were bursting out of her lips when she stopped. What good would it do to defend herself except to make Mrs. Vincent more vexed with Rosy, and to cause fresh bad feelings in Rosy's heart? Would it not be better to say nothing, to bear the blame, rather t

t Bee has been careless. If Miss Pink thinks telling stories about Bee will make me a

d you, Beata, go to yours. I am surprised that you should encourage Rosy in her naughty contradic

said to herself, not even when her mother went away, had she felt so miserable, never had Aunt Lillias spoken to her like th

g had seemed to go wrong-Miss Pink's complaints, which were not true, about Bee had really grieved her. For Miss Pink had managed to make it seem that it was mostly Bee's fault-

e minded what she said; she would hardly own it

thought that kept coming into her mind. For

was too honest herself to doubt other people-see that Miss Pink liked better to throw the blame on Bee, not out of ill-will to Bee,

aid who had done Rosy so much harm! Poor Mrs. Vincent-it really was trying-and she did not even like to tell Rosy's father how much she drea

Vincent, wanting them to think over what she had said, told Miss Pink to give Fixie his lessons

Bee very seriously, and told the

ther red and look

to think I complained out

ldly. "Besides I myself saw how very badly Rosy's exercises were written. I am very disappointed about Beata," she added, looking Miss P

swollen with crying, and she seemed as if she dared not look at her aunt, but she said not

ingly, for she felt as if another word

rls now," said Miss Pink, in her silly, fussy way, as if she

the look. Rosy, who had not yet spoken, muttered something, but so low that

severely, "be silent!" and

ink was plainly uncomfortable, and made several attempts to make friends, as it were, with Bee. B

t a fault-it was impossible for Miss Pink to find anything to blame; and indeed she did not wish to do so, or to be unkind, to Beata, so long as things went smoothly with Rosy. And for these two days everything was very smooth. Rosy did not want to be

little friend had been, and how little she had deserved to be so. And in her heart, too, Rosy knew that in reality it was owing to h

essons well for two days, and it is true I did them badly before. But if you can'

and she was opening her lips to

at. I don't want there to be any more trouble. It doesn't matter for me. O Rosy dear," she went on entreatingly, "don

idn't quite explain to herself why. Some of the reasons were good, and some were not very good. One of the best was, I think, that she didn't want her mother to be more vexed, or to have

in her cross-grained, suspicious little heart. Then, again, for her own sake, Rosy wished all to be smooth when her aunt and Nelson arrived, which was not a bad feeling, if not a very good or unselfish one. And then, again, she did not want to have any troub

rather confusedly in her heart, and she hardly knew what t

anything to put it right, I will. But it is very difficult to-to tell things quite correctly sometimes. I had been worried and vexed, and then Mrs. Vincent rather startled me by asking me about you, Rosy, and by something she said about my not managing you well. And-oh, I don't know what we would do, my mother and I, if I lost this n

and showed that her feelings, too, were touched. "But just then I had been trying. Aunt Lillias had spoken to us about it, and I did want to please her"-and the unbidden tears rose to Bee's eyes. "Please, Miss Pink, don't think I don't know when I am to blame, but-but you won't

ink felt convinced, and she was not very d

ow Mrs. Vincent would never forgive me if she thought I had exaggerated or misrepresented. I'm sure I didn't want to blame Bee; but I was so startled; and Mrs. Vincent seemed to think

Rosy again, and that was only kind and natural. And she said to every one how well Rosy was looking, and how much she was grown, and said, too, how nice i

; but she answered Miss Vincent's questions in her usual simple way, and told Rosy, when

if she was thinking over something very deeply. "I don't thin

ou wouldn't," exclaimed Bee, as if the

I would," said Rosy, n

Bee calmly. "Perhaps you thought you di

ce between wanting a thing, and

once, so she told Rosy she would think it over in her dreams, for she was very sle