fruits
from India, and preserved ginger in curious jars that are highly
esteemed to this day, but they were luxuries. Then a house-cleaning
season, not as bad as the spring, but still bad enough. And flower seeds
to be saved, garden seeds to be dried, so the beautiful quilt was rolled
up in a thick sheet and put away for the present.

The little girl had made quite friends with the Upham children and went
over there to tea all alone, but she felt very strange. They played tag
and blind-man's buff, but Cynthia thought puss in the corner the most
fun. Bentley was a nice big boy and very well mannered. Polly talked
over her school and brought out her needlework, which was to be the
bottom of a white frock. It would be only two yards round and she had
almost a yard worked. Then she was making a sampler, with an oak and
acorn vine around it, and it was to have four different kinds of
lettering on it.

"I don't know when I shall get it done," she said with a sigh.

Betty declared Dame Wilby was crosser than ever and Priscilla Lee wasn't
coming back, nor Margaret Rand, and she was coaxing mother to let her go
elsewhere.

After a while Cynthia declared she must go home. Cousin Chilian had said
he would come for her, but the clock was striking nine and he had not
come. He sometimes _did_ forget.

Bentley took his hat and walked beside her in quite a mannish way.

"I do hope you will come again," he said. "You were so pleasant when you
were caught, and I do hate to have girls saying all the time, 'Now that
isn't fair,' and squirming out."

"But if you're playing you must take the best and the worst. I liked
puss in the corner and didn't mind being the left-out pussy. I thought
it was quite fun to hunt a corner again."

Then they met Cousin Chilian, who had been playing a rather prolonged
game of chess with a visitor. But Bentley kept on with them, and said
good-night with a polite bow, adding, "She must come again, Mr.
Leverett, we had such a very nice time."

"And wasn't he nice!" exclaimed the child eagerly. "He is like some of
the grown-up men. I like big boys much better than the little ones."

He smiled to himself at that.

Now there came cool nights and mornings, but the world was beautiful in
its turning leaves, the fragrance of ripening fruit, and the late
gorgeous-colored flowers. They took delightful walks and found so many
curious places. Sometimes Bentley Upham met them and joined in their
walks and talk