broken in two. I feel as if I could never stand erect again."

"My hands!" groaned Agatha, stretching out her arms, and slowly
uncurling ten cramped-up fingers. "They ache. Whew! I never worked so
hard in my life. I shall be more careful about spilling crumbs on this
carpet in the future, now that I know what it means to have it cleaned.
How you ever got it up I can't think. It must have been even more
difficult than putting it down."

"Broke every nail I 'ave," said cook concisely. "It's not woman's work,
and that's the truth. We 'ad ought to 'ave 'ad a man to do it that 'ad
proper tools; but there, it's done, thank goodness, for another year,
and it's the worst in the house. Them squares is no trouble."

"No; I think you can manage the squares yourselves; but first of all we
will have the furniture brought in here. The house looks so forlorn
with the hall blocked up, and if we get one room tidy, we shall feel
that we are getting on," said Maud, who as yet had not risen from the
floor, but sat with feet stretched out, gathering resolution to begin
work afresh. She stretched out her hands and drew herself slowly along
towards the farther side of the room; but scarcely had she moved a
couple of feet when she gave an exclamation of dismay, and, stopping
short, passed her hand over the surface of the felting.

"Whatever is this? Something sticking up through the felting! Sharp
little points, here and there. Dozens of them all about! What can they
be?"

The others hastened to the spot, and gazed with horror-stricken eyes at
a number of minute molehills showing distinctly in the felting, and each
one presenting a sharp point when investigated by the touch.

"It's nails!" croaked Elsie deeply; and at that cook gave a groan of
dismay.

"It is, for sure! Them dratted tacks! Your Mar said we was to put in a
tack here and there between the rings, and there was a saucerful just
there. Somebody has knocked it over, I expect, and scattered them about
the floor."

Maud looked round with a despairing glance. The accident had happened
in the worst possible position, as such accidents are invariably
supposed to do, the nails being spilt a couple of yards from the wall,
in such a position that two sides of the carpet must be unfastened
before they could be removed. She stared at her sisters, and they
stared back in a long, sullen silence.

"We can't do it again, and we sha'n't!" said Nan recklessly. "Send