e washed them every one
and only let Serena wipe them and put them away. Serena entered into the
spirit of the thing and was so funny and nice--making believe to be
afraid they were not doing things right and that "sister Sarah would
turn to and do 'em over again, being amazing particular."

Then when the flies were whisked out by two efficient aprons, Betty left
the sisters to themselves for a good talk and rest, and wandered out
along the hillsides by the path Serena had taken, and there she sat and
thought and looked off at the green country and at the sky. A little
black and white dog came trotting along the path on some errand of his
own, and when he saw Betty he held up one paw and looked at her and then
came to be patted and to snuggle down by her side as if she were an old
friend. Betty was touched by this expression of confidence and sympathy,
as indeed she might be, and was sorry to say good-by to the little dog
when it was time to go back to the house. He licked her fingers
affectionately as she gave him a last patting, and seemed disappointed
because she left him so soon, as if he had gone trotting about the world
all his life to find her and now she was going away again. He did not
offer to follow her, but whenever she looked back there he was, sitting
quite still and watching.

Jonathan was already at the house, impatient to be on his way home, and
Serena's bonnet was just being taken down from its nail as Betty came
in. It seemed too bad to leave sister Sarah behind, but then she had all
the piece-bags for company, as Serena said.

XI

THE TWO FRIENDS.

THE Leicester household had been so long drifting into a staid and
ceremonious fashion of life that this visit of Betty's threatened at
times to be disturbing. If Aunt Barbara's heart had not been kept young,
under all her austere look and manners, Betty might have felt
constrained more than once, but there always was an excuse to give Aunt
Mary, who sometimes complained of too much chattering on the front door
steps, or too much scurrying up and down stairs from Betty's room. It
was impossible to count the number of times that important secrets had
to be considered in the course of a week, or to understand why there
were so many flurries of excitement among the girls of Betty's set,
while the general course of events in Tideshead flowed so smoothly. Miss
Barbara Leicester was always a frank and outspoken person, and the young
people were sur