ould not allow herself, however, to feel any tenderness toward
Annie. Of course she was not really a bit like sweet little Nan, and it
was absurd to suppose that a great girl like Annie could want caressing
and petting and soothing; still, in spite of herself, Annie's look
haunted her, and she took great care of the little flower-offering, and
presented it with Annie's message instantly on her arrival to the little
old ladies.

Miss Jane and Miss Agnes were very much pleased with the early primroses.
They looked at one another and said:

"Poor dear little girl," in tender voices, and then they put the flowers
into one of their daintiest vases, and made much of them, and showed them
to any visitors who happened to call that afternoon.

Their little house looked something like a doll's house to Hester, who
had been accustomed all her life to large rooms and spacious passages;
but it was the sweetest, daintiest, and most charming little abode in the
world. It was not unlike a nest, and the Misses Bruce in certain ways
resembled bright little robin redbreasts, so small, so neat, so chirrupy
they were.

Hester enjoyed her afternoon immensely; the little ladies were right in
their prophesy, and she was no longer lonely at school. She enjoyed
talking about her schoolfellows, about her new life, about her studies.
The Misses Bruce were decidedly fond of a gossip, but something which she
could not at all define in their manner prevented Hester from retailing
for their benefit any unkind news. They told her frankly at last that
they were only interested in the good things which went on in the school,
and that they found no pursuit so altogether delightful as finding out
the best points in all the people they came across. They would not even
laugh at sleepy, tiresome Susan Drummond; on the contrary, they pitied
her, and Miss Jane wondered if the girl could be quite well, whereupon
Miss Agnes shook her head, and said emphatically that it was Hester's
duty to rouse poor Susy, and to make her waking life so interesting to
her that she should no longer care to spend so many hours in the world of
dreams.

There is such a thing as being so kind-hearted, so gentle, so charitable
as to make the people who have not encouraged these virtues feel quite
uncomfortable. By the mere force of contrast they begin to see themselves
something as they really are. Since Hester had come to Lavender House she
had taken very little pains to please o