fruit and nuts, and then
the guest said he would have to go as he wanted to attend a lecture by
an eminent surgeon. He would be in tomorrow morning.

"I thought I would take Marilla out shopping with me. Come in to
dinner again and spend the whole evening."

Dr. Richards promised to.

The others went up to the sitting room. Mr. Warren took possession of
the big Morris chair, May had one knee, Jessie the other and Edith
seated herself on the broad arm and placed her arm over her father's
shoulder. They always exacted an hour of their father and he gave it
with the utmost fondness.

"And here is a place for you, little Marilla," he said. "Now the chair
is full. I've wondered sometimes if Edith wouldn't tip us over."

"I'd have to be as fat as Auntie Belle to do that," she laughed, "and
now papa I want Marilla to tell you about a queer Home she was put in
where they wouldn't let the little girls have dolls nor playthings,
and they made dollies out of clothes pins and had to hide them."

"That was cruel to little girls. Why they have dolls by right and no
one should prevent them. Didn't you play any?"

"Oh yes, out of doors, tag and Uncle John and Scotland's burning, and
Lady Jane, and Ring around a Rosy; and then in summer you had to pull
weeds in the garden. When it rained you had to march in doors, but if
you tried to dance a little you had to go and sit down. Oh, they were
very strict."

"And what else did you do?"

"All the bigger girls made the beds and twice a week brushed up the
floors, and every little while you went in the kitchen for a week and
helped with the cooking so you would know how to work. When you were
twelve they bound you out and you had to stay until you were
eighteen."

"But didn't you study any?"

"Oh, yes, there was school every day."

"And did _you_ get bound-out?"

"Yes." She flushed a little.

"But you did not stay?"

"Oh, tell papa about the babies," cried Edith.

"And did you ever notice the Campbell's soup little girl with her
round eyes?"

"Who gets fat on eating soup? Yes," and he laughed.

"They looked something like that," said Marilla. "They were so fat and
they had such round eyes, and you could make them laugh so easily. I
went to take care of them and amuse them, but they were so good, they
hardly ever cried, and I used to ride them round--they had such a
beautiful wagon! But sometimes it seemed so heavy, it had to be big,
you know, and then there was Jack.