door; and she began to scramble about as if she
wished to make things a little better.

"May I help you to-day, Maddie?" asked Alice. "I haven't any work at
home, and I like to get things tidy. We'll make such a room of this
before night!" And, without another word, she began in earnest to bring
order out of strange confusion.

Lolly was a capital helper, because her heart was in the matter, and she
really wanted a pleasant, cheerful home; but Maddie was content to look
on, and scarcely moved a finger to help.

They packed away the wood and chips in the closet under the lowest shelf,
and washed the dishes and set them up edgewise in their proper places;
and they mopped the floor, and scrubbed the windows and table, and
brought boughs of evergreen to hang upon the nails around the walls and
make it cheerful and pretty.

Alice thought of this. She said, "Rich folks hang paintings on their
walls--and these are God's pictures, the work of his almighty fingers,
and so beautiful! Why not put them where we can always look at them, and
in them see his love and kindness?"

Lolly thought her the most wonderful little girl in all the world, and
clapped her hands for joy as she looked upon the altered room.

Then they went outside, and swept the sticks and chips from the lawn; and
Maddie managed to hunt up a hammer and some old rusty nails, and to help
Alice to fasten the loose boards upon the door, which improved it more
than anything else could do.

It was so low from the roof to the ground that by stepping on a chair
they could easily reach; and they trained a running rose-bush, that had
been long neglected, and hung, trailing, over the grass, so that it
nearly covered the whole side of the cottage, and would soon be like a
bright green mantle over the dark walls.

CHAPTER VII.

Just as they had finished their labours, and Alice had prevailed upon
Maddie to put herself in a little better order, and the three young
friends had seated themselves upon the step to get something from Alice's
Bible--some words of love and blessing, as Alice said, from their
heavenly Father--there came a lady up the road towards them. She was
walking very slowly along, with her parasol shielding her face, so that
it was quite concealed from the children; but Alice knew her dress, and
ran quickly to meet her, crying joyously, "It is Miss Mason, dear Lolly!"

Maddie ran into the cottage and hid behind the door, like a foolish
li