in spite of orders, so the maid said, she secretly carried up a goodly
sized bundle from the kitchen.

The day was one of unusual quietness, as the lively pair, who generally
kept the house full of music, were now supposed to be away in humiliation
and disgrace. All regretted that the punishment had to be inflicted and the
children made to realize their naughtiness in thus running away, and all
were looking forward to the hour of six o'clock with pleasant anticipation.
When it arrived word was sent to the children that their hours of
imprisonment were over, and that they were to present themselves in the
library. Quick and prompt was the response, and noisily and hurriedly the
two darlings came rushing down the stairs, followed by Mary. They were
arrayed in their most beautiful apparel, and were evidently prepared by
their nurse to go with her for a walk.

The father, feeling that it was necessary, began to make a few remarks
expressive of regret that he had thus been obliged to punish them, when he
was interrupted by little Sagastao with the honest and candid remark,
spoken in a way which, while perfectly fearless, was yet devoid of all
rudeness or impertinence:

"O, father dear, you needn't feel badly about us at all, as Mary has been
with us all day and has told us lovely stories."

"And Mary brought us taffy candy," broke in darling Minnehaha, with equal
candor; "and some currant cakes and other nice things, so we got on very
well after all."

These candid utterances on the part of the two children not only amazed but
amused the parents, and were another revelation of Mary's wonderful love
for the children and her defiance of disciplinary measures which she
thought might cause the slightest pain or sorrow. And here she stood in the
open door, and as soon as their father's words and their own rather
startling "confessions" were ended she called them to her and away they
went for a long walk along the beautiful shore of the lake, leaving their
parents to conjecture whether the punishment that had been inflicted would
produce any very salutary results.

When the children were gathered that evening in the study with their
parents little Sagastao said:

"Papa, Minnehaha and I have been talking it all over with Mary and she has
shown us that it was naughty on our parts to run away as we did; and we are
sorry that we did anything that caused you and mamma sorrow and anxiety
about us, and so, ... Well, we know you w