ruit, and there was a mad little bird
on a tree outside the door nearly bursting his throat with joy of
living. He had forgotten that summer was over, that winter must ever
come; and who could think of cold winds, bare boughs, or frozen streams
on such a day? A painted moth came in at the open window and settled on
the tuft of brilliant leaves. Aurelia heard the bird and looked from
the beauty of the glowing bush to her tall, splendid daughter, standing
like young Spring with golden Autumn in her arms.

Then suddenly she covered her eyes and cried, "I can't bear it! Here I
lie chained to this bed, interfering with everything you want to do.
It's all wasted! All my saving and doing without; all your hard study;
all Mirandy's outlay; everything that we thought was going to be the
making of you!"

"Mother, mother, don't talk so, don't think so!" exclaimed Rebecca,
sitting down impetuously on the floor by the bed and dropping the
goldenrod by her side. "Why, mother, I'm only a little past seventeen!
This person in a purple calico apron with flour on her nose is only the
beginnings of me! Do you remember the young tree that John
transplanted? We had a dry summer and a cold winter and it didn't grow
a bit, nor show anything of all we did for it; then there was a good
year and it made up for lost time. This is just my little 'rooting
season,' mother, but don't go and believe my day is over, because it
hasn't begun! The old maple by the well that's in its hundredth year
had new leaves this summer, so there must be hope for me at seventeen!"

"You can put a brave face on it," sobbed Aurelia, "but you can't
deceive me. You've lost your place; you'll never see your friends here,
and you're nothing but a drudge!"

"I look like a drudge," said Rebecca mysteriously, with laughing eyes,
"but I really am a princess; you mustn't tell, but this is only a
disguise; I wear it for reasons of state. The king and queen who are at
present occupying my throne are very old and tottering, and are going
to abdicate shortly in my favor. It's rather a small kingdom, I
suppose, as kingdoms go, so there isn't much struggle for it in royal
circles, and you mustn't expect to see a golden throne set with jewels.
It will probably be only of ivory with a nice screen of peacock
feathers for a background; but you shall have a comfortable chair very
near it, with quantities of slaves to do what they call in novels your
'lightest bidding.'"

Aurelia smil