ways getting punished," said Tess. "He never _does_
manage to say the right thing. And I think Miss Pepperill is kind of
hard on him. But--but she's real nice to me."

"Well, why shouldn't she be, honey?" Ruth said. "You're not to be
compared with that rude boy, I am sure," for Ruth Kenway did not much
approve of boys, and only tolerated Neale O'Neil because the other
children liked him so much.

"I should hope not!" agreed Agnes, who did like boys, but did not like
the aforesaid scapegrace, Sammy Pinkney.

"I guess it was the sovereigns of England that makes her nice to me,"
said Tess, thoughtfully. "I 'spected to have an awfully hard time in
Miss Pepperill's class; but she has never been real cross with me. And
what do you s'pose?"

"I couldn't guess," Ruth said smilingly.

"To-day she asked me about Mrs. Eland."

"Mrs. Eland?"

"Yes," said Tess, nodding. "She asked me if I'd seen Mrs. Eland lately,
and if she'd found her sister. For you see," explained Tess, "I'd told
her how poor Mrs. Eland felt so bad about losing her sister when she was
a little girl and never being able to find her."

"Oh, yes, I remember," Ruth said.

"But I had to tell Miss Pepperill that I'd only seen her the one
time--when she taught me the sovereigns of England. I'd really love to
see Mrs. Eland once more. Wouldn't you, Dot?"

"Dear me, yes!" agreed the smaller girl. "I wonder if she ever got those
apples?"

"Of course she did," put in Neale. "Didn't I tell you I took them to the
hospital myself?"

"We--ell! But she never told us so--did she, Dot?" complained Tess.

However, the very next day the children heard from the bag of apples. A
delightfully suspicious package awaited Tess and Dot at the old Corner
House after school. It had been delivered by no less a person than Dr.
Forsyth himself, who stopped his electric runabout in front of the old
Corner House long enough to run in and set the pasteboard box on the
sitting room table.

"What forever is that, Doctor?" demanded Mrs. MacCall.

"I hope it's something to make these children sick," declared the
doctor, gruffly. "They are too disgracefully healthy for anything."

"Yes, thank our stars!" said the housekeeper.

"Oh, yes! oh, yes!" cried the apparently very savage medical man. "But
what would become of all us poor doctors if everybody were as healthy as
this family, I'd like to know?" and he tramped out to his car again in
much make-believe wrath.

Dot came first