hat no matter how sorry we are after something has happened it is too
late to do the right thing then."

"I'm so hungry," declared Dot, who couldn't bear to see Meg in trouble.
"Couldn't we eat pretty soon?"

Mother Blossom went upstairs with Meg and helped her bathe her eyes,
and at supper every one was careful not to mention the lost locket.
Meg wasn't scolded any more, but every time she saw the empty blue
velvet box in her bureau drawer she was reminded of her carelessness.
Aunt Polly said nothing at all, but Meg wondered if she was sorry she
had given it to such a heedless girl. Meg thought a good deal about
the many "oldest daughters" who had kept the locket safely for her.

"We'll go and look for it after school," Bobby promised the next day;
and though they did, they found no trace of it.

That night it snowed again, and Sam and Philip--Philip always assisted
at cleaning the walks--had their work to do over again.

"Sleigh bells!" exclaimed Bobby, as the children were in the hall
putting on their things for the walk to school. "Some one's calling."

He ran to look out of the dining-room window.

"Mother, it's the feed-store man," he shouted. "He's got a sleigh.
Can we go?"

Mother Blossom stepped to the door. The "feed-store man" was Mr.
Wright, and the four little Blossoms knew him very well.

"Morning!" They heard him greet Mother Blossom. "Nice winter weather
we're having. Anybody going to school this morning? I'm driving
around that way."

Meg and Bobby danced out on the front porch.

"Take us?" they cried excitedly. "We're all ready."

"Sure, I'll take you," was the hearty response. "Send Dot and Twaddles
along, too. I'm going to the station and back, and I'll drop you at
the school house and take them on with me. I'll have them back inside
an hour, Mrs. Blossom."

Mother Blossom said Dot and Twaddles could go, and in another minute
they were climbing into the sleigh, which was a low box wagon on
runners, drawn by two lively bay horses.

The twins sat down cozily in the straw that covered the floor on the
sleigh, but Bobby rode up on the seat with Mr. Wright, and Meg did,
too. She usually did everything Bobby did.

"Had any snowball fights yet?" asked Mr. Wright, his breath coming out
of his mouth like white smoke.

"No. We've been coasting," replied Bobby, "but we haven't had a
snowball fight. Miss Wright won't let you throw snowballs near the
school. She's afraid you'll