ma'am----" Henry began.

"Eh?" cried Miss Bessy, "don't call me ma'am;" and she burst into a
giggle, which made Henry open his eyes and look very hard at her.

This made her laugh the more; and, as she had her teacup in her hand,
she spilt a quantity of tea on the unfortunate black frock.

"Bessy," said Mrs. Goodriche gently, "you had better set down your cup
and wipe your frock, or I shall have to ask Mrs. Fairchild to lend you
one of Henry's pinafores."

"It is not hurt, aunt; it will all come out. I threw a cup of milk over
it the other day, and no one could see the mark unless I stood quite
opposite them, and they looked quite hard at it."

"Well, then, Miss Bessy," said Mrs. Goodriche, "when you wear that
frock, or any other of your frocks which people should not look hard
at, I would advise you to keep in the background."

"Aunt is making sport of me, Mrs. Fairchild," said Bessy, with another
giggle; "do you know what she means? She is advising me, in her cunning
way, always to keep in the background of company."

"Always?" said Mr. Fairchild, smiling; "why, have you not any dresses
which would bear close inspection?"

"Not many, I fear!" replied Miss Bessy; "I was always uncommon unlucky
in tearing my clothes and getting them stained."

"Suppose we say careless," said Mrs. Goodriche; "but it is no laughing
matter, niece. Have you never heard the old saying, 'Wilful waste makes
woful want'?"

"Well, well," replied the niece, with something like a sigh, "I can't
help it--I never could;" but before Mrs. Goodriche could say another
word, she cried out, "You have got a magpie--have you not, Henry?"

"How could you know that?" asked Henry.

"Sukey told me," she answered, "and Mary Lampet told her. Mary was with
the person who gave you the magpie, when she sent it to you."

"Who is Mary Lampet?" said Henry.

"One of Bessy's new friends," said Mrs. Goodriche; "a woman who
sometimes comes for a day's work to my house."

"And such a curious old body," said Miss Bessy; "she wears a blue
striped petticoat, and she generally has a pipe in her mouth."

"Never mind her, my dear," said Mrs. Goodriche: "Mr. and Mrs.
Fairchild and I have a good deal to say to each other; we do not often
meet, and we wish to have our share of talking; it is not for one
person, and that one of the youngest, to have all the talk to herself."

Instead of noticing this remark, Miss Bessy looked round the table.

"One, two, three,