Mary Erskine

e's at this period, was to assist in the house-keeping. She was particularly please

m. This was not the working-dress which was described in a preceding chapter as the one which Mary Bell used to play in, when out among the stumps. Her playing among the stumps was two or three years before the period which

ble with real cups and saucers, for a real and useful purpose, or to assist Mary Erskine in the care of the children, or in making the morning arrangements in the room, gave her more pleasure than any species of child's play could possibly

eakfast?" said Mary Bell to Mary E

like?" asked Mary

oast potatoes, and a spid

was so called probably, because, like the animal of that name, it had several legs and a great round body. The iron s

m, and put it into the spider. Then more than all the rest, Mary Bell liked to bake a spider cake. She used to take great pleasure in carrying the cake in her two hands to the fire-place, and laying it carefully in its place in the spider, and then setting it up before the fire to bake, lifting the spider by the end of the tail. She also took great sa

respect to breakfast, and for an hour Mary Bell

le. She went down into the little cellar to bring up the butter. She skimmed a pan of milk to get the cream, she measured out the tea; and at last, when all else was ready, she took a pitcher and went down to the spring to bring up a pitcher of cool water. In all these operations

ch being of about the size of an egg, which his mother had chosen for him out of the brook, and also of a short piece of bright iron chain. The chain was originally a part of a harness, but the harness had become worn out, and Albert had brought in the

e breakfast, and after Thomas had gone away, "you may go out and play for an hour while I finis

the teacher?"

e one," said

Bell. "If you do, then we can't have any scholars

skine, "but we can have t

hey be?" ask

ildren can not go to school, for there is now nobody to take them, and it is too far for them to go alone. I must teach them myself at home, or else they can not learn. I am very sorry inde

ry Bell, "I am sure you ca

u to teach me. And while you are teaching me, Bella may as wel

hree scholars," r

shall be the third scholar. I

o draw?" asked Mar

kine, "but I can sh

raw very much indeed. Though I don't see how any bod

e. "A man may teach a horse to canter,

arn to draw. Mary Erskine then said that after they had finished their breakfast the children might go out an h

was to begin. So she and Bella put on their bonnets, and bidding Mary Erskine good morning, they sallied forth. As they came o

o pasture this morning. How glad I was to see her

a followed her. They passed through a gate, then across a little lane, then through a gate on the other side of the lane, which led into the barn-yards.

and so Mary Bell proposed that they should go and help Thomas drive the cows. They accordingly went on, but they had not gone far before they came to a brook, which here flowed across the lane. The cows walked directly th

it into great pans. She said that she should like to have the children go and see the new house very much indeed, and she gave them the key, so that they might go into it. The children took the key and went across the fields by a winding path until they came out into the main road again, near the new h

at there was not any key hole. Mary Bell said that she supposed the key hole was not made yet. T

we get in?"

"and I can't think how they lock

of the windows?" said Mary Bel

with them, so as to get in at a window. She accordingly went to this heap, and by means of considerable exertion and toil she rolled two large blocks-the ends of sticks of timber which the carpenters had sawed off in framing the house-up under the nearest window. She placed these

ng at the work with great sati

ght angles to the house, and with the ends close against it to keep them steady. On these blocks she laid a second flooring of short boards, w

up on it,"

ary Bell danced upon it together in great g

more "story." They then both went back to the pile, and got two more blocks and another board to lay across upon the top of them for a flooring, and when t

ting her," as she called it, that is, pushing her up from below while she climbed by means of her arms clasped over the window sill above. Bella being thus in the house, took the key, which Mary Bell handed her for the purpose, and went along to the entry to unlock the

ide, she called out to Mary Bell, through the do

e lock," sai

not any lock

any thing?" as

Bella, "ther

en, open the bolt,

as new, and it fitted very tight. Bella said that Mary Bell must push from the outside, while she held up the latch. Mary Bell accordingly

en, with a little spout leading into it, from which the water was running in a constant stream. It came from an aqueduct of logs brought under ground. There was a tin dipper there upon the top of the post which the water-spout came

ee the garden better. A fresh and delightful breeze came in immediately, which the children enjoyed very much. The breeze, however, in drawing through the house, shut all the doors which the children had left open, with a lou

tered, and found it shut fast. They could not open it, for there was now no one

o?" said she. "W

id Mary Bell, "we will ge

ength in pulling upon the latch, but all in vain. They were

he window was too high above the scaffolding for them to get down there safely. One of them might, perhaps, have succeeded in

her window where there are no blocks below, and throw all the shavings

Bella, "let

for a long time, until the kitchen floor was entirely cleared. They picked out carefully all the sticks, and blocks, and pieces of board which were mixed with the shavings, before throwing them out, in orde

me more shavings,

o jump down. We can't get out any way

er if we can't get out, for your mother knows that we came here, and i

erhaps we can find a ladder that the carpenters have left somewhere about. If there

d Bella, "s

not only in the rooms, but also in the passage-ways and closets, and in every corner where a ladder could possibly be hid. At length, just as Mary Bell was going up the sta

aid Mary Bell, and leaving th

n toward the entry where Mary Bell was, ca

hole, Mary Bell! I'v

ary Bell went to the back door, and easily opened it by means of the key. Glad to discover this mode of escape from their thraldom, the children ran out, and capered about upon the b

that Mary Erskine had got ev