ignorant."

Her kind civil tone quite changed cook's, and she said, "Oh, Miss, I'll
make it, only you see, you shouldn't have said I didn't know how."
Emilie explained, and the cook was pacified, and gave Miss Schomberg a
good deal of gratuitous information during the process. How she did not
like her place, and should not stay, and how she disliked her mistress,
and plenty more--to which Emilie listened politely, but did not make
much reply. She plainly perceived that cook wanted a very forbearing
mistress, but she could not exactly tell her so. She merely said in her
quaint quiet way, that every one had something to bear, and the paste
being made, she left the kitchen.

"Well, I must say, Miss Schomberg has a nice way of speaking, which gets
over you some how," said cook, "I wish I had her temper."

More than one in the kitchen mentally echoed that wish of cook's.

The balloon went on beautifully, and was completed by seven o'clock.
Fred was delighted when he came in to tea, and John no less so. All the
rude speeches were forgotten, and Emilie was as sympathetic in her joy
as an elder sister could have been. "I don't know what you will do
without Miss Schomberg," said Mr. Parker, as he sipped his tea.

"She had better come and live with us," said Fred, "and keep us all in
order. I'm sure I should have no objection."

Emilie felt quite paid for the little self-denial she had exercised,
when she found that her greatest enemy, he who had declared he would
"plague her to death, and pay her off for not letting them send up their
fire-works," was really conquered by that powerful weapon, _love_.

Fred had thought more than he chose to acknowledge of Emilie's kindness;
he could not forget it. It was so different to the treatment he had met
with from his associates generally. It made him ask what could be the
reason of Emilie's conduct. She had nothing to get by it, that was
certain, and Fred made up his mind to have some talk with Miss Schomberg
on the subject the first time they were alone. He had some trials at
school with a boy who was bent on annoying him, and trying to stir up
his temper; perhaps the peacemaker might tell him how to deal with this
lad. Fred was an impetuous boy, and now began to like Miss Schomberg as
warmly as he had previously disliked her.

On their way to old Joe's house that night, Emilie thought she would
call in on Miss Webster, not having parted from her very warmly on the
first night of