ed a barrel of
potatoes, she moved about the things in her wardrobe, and at last she
hid the sugar! No danger of Teddy finding it this time! Aunt Ann could
not repress a smile of triumph as she sat down to her knitting.

Unconscious Teddy came home at noon, ate his dinner, and was off again.
His mother and Aunt Ann went out making calls that afternoon, and as
Aunt Ann closed the street door she thought to herself--

"I can really take comfort going out, I feel so safe in my mind, now
that sugar is hid."

But at tea-time she almost relented when she saw Teddy look into the
sugar-bowl, and turn away without taking a single lump.

"He is really honorable," she said to herself; "he thinks that is all
there is, and he wont touch it." And she passed the gingerbread to him
three times, as a reward of merit.

There was sugar enough in the bowl to sweeten all their tea the next
day, and so far all went well. But the third day, in the afternoon, up
drove a carry-all to the gate, with Uncle Wright, Aunt Wright, and two
stranger young ladies from the city--all come to take tea, have a good
time, and drive home again by moonlight.

Teddy's mother sat down in the front room to entertain them, and Aunt
Ann hurried out to see about supper. How lucky it was that she had
boiled a ham that very morning! Pink slices of ham, with nice biscuit
and butter, were not to be despised even by city guests. She had also a
golden comb of honey, brought to the house by a countryman a few hours
before; it looked really elegant as she set it on the table in a
cut-glass dish. Then there were,--oh, moment of suspense! would she
find any left?--yes; there _were_ enough sweet crisp seed-cakes to fill
a plate.

The table was set--the tea with its fine aroma, and the coffee,
amber-clear, were made. The cream was on, so was the sugar-bowl, and
Aunt Ann was just going to summon her guests, when she happened to
think to lift the sugar-bowl cover and peep in. Sure enough, there
wasn't a lump there!

"I must run and fill it!" exclaimed Aunt Ann, lifting it in a hurry,
and starting; but she had to stop to think in what direction to go.

"Where was it I put that sugar?" she asked herself.

In the camphor chest? No. In the potatoes? No; she remembered thinking
they were not clean enough. Was it anywhere up garret? If she went
there and looked around, maybe it would come into her mind. She did go
there, sugar-bowl in hand, and she did look around, but all