ming up.

"O Norton! didn't you like the school very much?"

"They're a queer set," said Norton. "They're a _poor_ set, Pink! a
miserable poor set."

"Well, what then? Don't you like the teacher?"

"He's well enough; but I don't like the company."

"They were very well behaved, Norton; quite as well as the children at
Shadywalk."

"Shadywalk was Shadywalk," said Norton, "but here it is another thing.
It won't do. Why Pink, I shouldn't wonder if some of them were street
boys."

"I think some of those in the class were _good_, Norton; boys and girls
too."

"Maybe so," said Norton; "but their clothes weren't. Faugh!"

Matilda went into the house, wondering at her old problem, but soon
forgetting wonder in mixed sorrow and joy. All the beauty of being a
true child of God rose up fresh before her eyes; some of the honour and
dignity of it; nothing in all the world, Matilda was sure, could be so
lovely or so happy. But she had not honoured her King like Daniel; and
that grieved her. She was very sure now what she wanted to be.

The next morning she took up the matter of her Christmas gifts in a new
spirit. What was she meant to do with her twenty dollars? Before she
could decide that, she must know a little better what it was possible
to do; and for that Mr. Wharncliffe had promised his help. She must
wait. In the meanwhile she studied carefully the question, what it was
best for her to give to her sisters and the members of her immediate
family circle; and very grave became Matilda's consideration of the
shops. Her little face was almost comical now and then in its absorbed
pondering of articles and prices and calculation of sums. An incredible
number and variety of the latter, both in addition and subtraction,
were done in her head those days, resolving twenty dollars into an
unheard of number of parts and forming an unknown number of
combinations with them. She bought the bronze obelisk for Mrs. Laval;
partly that she might have some pennies on hand for the street
sweepers; but then came a time of fair weather days, and the street
sweepers were not at the crossings. Matilda purchased furthermore some
dark brown silk braid for Norton's watchguard, and was happy making it,
whenever she could be shut up in her room. She dared not trust Judy's
eyes or tongue.

One day she was busy at this, her fingers flying over the braid and her
thoughts as busy, when somebody tried to open her door, and then tapped
at it. Mat