guess she won't," said Sal, and planting herself in the
doorway as Miss Grundy came up, she asked, "Come you with hostile
intentions?"

"Out of my way," said Miss Grundy. "I'll teach, that upstart to break
things when she's mad." Pushing Sal aside, she entered the kitchen.

Mary retreated behind the cupboard door, and Miss Grundy was about to
follow her, when Sal, with a nimble bound, sprang upon her back, and
pulling her almost to the floor, snatched the whip from her hand, and
broke it in twenty pieces. How the matter would have ended is
uncertain, for at that moment Mr. Parker himself appeared, and to him
Miss Grundy and Sal detailed their grievances, both in the same
breath.

"I can't get at a word," said he, and turning to the pleasant-looking
woman, who was quietly paring apples, he asked what it meant.

In a plain, straightforward manner, she told all, beginning from the
time when Alice was first brought into the kitchen, and adding, as an
opinion of her own, that the child was suffering from heat. Mr Parker
was a good-natured, though rather weak man, and in reality slightly
feared Miss Grundy. On this occasion, however, he did not take sides
with her but said, "It was ridiculous to have such works, and that if
Mary wanted whipping, he would do it himself."

"But Sal Furbush," said Miss Grundy, as she adjusted her head-gear,
which was slightly displaced, "can't she be shut up? There's bedlam to
pay the whole durin' time when she's loose."

Mr. Parker knew this very well, but before he had time to answer, Mary
looked pleadingly in his face, and said, "if you please, don't shut
her up. She was not to blame, for I asked her to help me."

"Wall, wall, we'll let her off this time, I guess," said he; and as
Uncle Peter just then put his head into the window, saying that "the
lord of the manor was wanted without," Mr. Parker left, glad to get
out of the muss so easily. No sooner was he gone, than Sal, catching
up the cradle, sorted for the stairs, saying, "I won't work, but I
can, and will take care of little Willie, and I choose to do it in a
more congenial atmosphere." Then, as Mary looked a little startled,
she added, "Never you fear, dearie, Sal knows what she's about, and
she won't make the little boy the least bit of a face."

From that time there was no more trouble with Alice during the day,
for she seemed to cling naturally to Sally, who hour after hour rocked
and took care of her, while Mary, in the k