d have been chopped down, and the
whole thing done properly. It would have been better not to have touched
it, if you couldn't do it properly."

"Don't you like it?" asked Faith, disappointedly.

"Well, it spoils the look of the place, doesn't it? And just when I had
got it made almost fit to look at, for once. I daresay it might be quite
pretty if the bed was full of flowers," she added, in a less caustic
tone, "as I suppose it will be some day. As it is--well, you must admit
it looks a hopeless botch, doesn't it?"

Faith did not reply. There was no need to, and she felt that she could
not. Instead, she walked away and down to the village, where she had many
friends, and a little later returned with a collection of roots and
cuttings and seedlings, which would have taken another person hours to
plant properly, but which Faith got into the ground somehow in less than
one. She had been too dead beat to get water and put round their roots,
and it never occurred to Audrey to do so for her; so the poor things hung
wilting and dejected-looking in the early morning sunshine, and only added
to the unsightliness of Faith's new border.

On Thursday morning early, Tom, strolling round the garden to walk off a
little of his excitement, noticed the poor drooping, dying things, and was
filled with pity. Tiptoeing back to the house again for a can of water,
he gave them all a drink. Deborah, coming out a few minutes later, found
him standing, can in hand, rather wet about the feet and legs, gazing
thoughtfully at Faith's new garden.

"I've got an idea," he whispered mysteriously, "such a jolly one!
Have you any money?"

"I've got a penny. Daddy gave it to me yesterday."

"I've got two ha'pennies, the one Audrey gave me, and one I had before.
Let's go down to Miss Babbs' and buy two penny packets of flower seeds,
and sow them, and not say anything about it. Then when they come up
everybody'll be surprised."

Debby was enchanted. She loved s'prises, and this was such a pretty one.
She loved, too, to back Tom up in anything he suggested.

Miss Babbs was only just taking down her shutters when her early customers
arrived, so Tom was able to help her. At least, he thought he helped, and
Miss Babbs would not have undeceived him for the world--even though she
could have done the work herself in half the time, and with less than half
the trouble.

But an even harder task than taking down the shutters, was that of
dec