free to go out and earn her own living, if she chose.

"Well, I must go and tell her," she said and left abruptly.

Elizabeth listened in silence to Sadie's eager plans, but the colour
came and went in her face and her blue eyes were full of longing.

"O, if I could only do it--if I only _could_!" she breathed. "But I--I
couldn't go around to the stores and ask them to sell for me. I never
could do that!"

"Well, you don't have to. I'd do that for you. I wouldn't mind it,"
Sadie declared. "You just make up some of those spicy Christmas cakes
and some others, a few, you know, just for samples, and I'll take 'em
out for you. I know they'll sell."

"I--I'm not so sure," Elizabeth faltered.

Sadie's brows met in a black frown. "You're a regular 'fraid-cat,
'Lizabeth Page!" she exclaimed, stamping her foot. "How do you ever
expect to do _any_thing if you're scared to try! To-morrow's Sat'-day.
Can't you get up early an' make some?"

It was settled that she should. There was little sleep for Elizabeth
that night, so eager and excited was she, and very early in the morning
she crept down to the kitchen and set to work. Before her usual rising
time, Sadie ran downstairs, buttoning her dress as she went.

"Have you made 'em?" she demanded, her black eyes snapping.

"Yes," Elizabeth glanced at the clock, "I'm just going to take them
out." She opened the oven door, then she gasped and her face whitened as
she drew out the pans.

"My _goodness_!" cried Sadie. "Elizabeth Page--what ails 'em?"

"O--_O_!" wailed Elizabeth, "I must have left out the baking powder--and
I never did before in all my life!"

"_Well!_" Sadie exploded. "If this is the way you're going to----" Then
the misery in Elizabeth's face was too much for her. She stopped short,
biting her tongue to keep back the bitter words.

Elizabeth crouched beside the oven, her tears dropping on the cakes.

"O, come now--no need to cry all over 'em--they're flat enough without
any extra wetting," Sadie exclaimed after a moment's silence. "You just
fling them out an' make some more after breakfast. I bet you'll never
leave out the baking powder again."

"I never, never _could_ again," sobbed Elizabeth.

"O, forget it, an' come on in to breakfast," Sadie said with more
sympathy in her heart than in her words.

"I don't want any--I couldn't eat a mouthful. You take in the coffee,
Sadie--everything else is on the table."

"Well, you just make more cakes then. T