nder her
especial care while her mistress was away.

There was no lack of pleasant conversation when Aunt Mary was in the
room, and the work progressed well during the morning hours; but,
unfortunately, about three o'clock in the afternoon some friends came to
call, and as it was evident to Miss Livesay that this would prevent
their visit to the cottage that evening, she bade the young people put
away their work, and try to find some amusement in the garden. Clara
felt sorry and disappointed at this postponement, though she said
nothing, but prepared to obey her aunt. With Mabel, however, this was
quite an unexpected pleasure, and so rapidly did she gather up her work,
without folding it neatly together, that the needle ran into her finger,
and brought the blood so quickly that two or three large spots were
deposited on the sleeves.

'Oh, aunt will be so cross when she sees what I have done!' said the too
hasty Mabel. 'Must I try to wash the spots out, Clara?' she inquired.

'No, no!' replied her cousin; 'Bridget will do that for you with a
little brush. But I wonder, Mabel,' she added, 'at your thinking dear
aunt would be _cross_ because you have had an accident. You seem to have
some very strange ideas in your head; you will know better soon, I
hope.'

The room was quickly cleared, and Clara, taking the soiled sleeve in her
hand, went with her cousin into the kitchen, where they found the tidy
servant-of-all-work already clean, and sitting comfortably with her
knitting in hand, and the cat on her knee. Bridget readily undertook the
task required of her; and the young people, having obtained the food for
the poultry, ran off to distribute it.

A capital house Clara's feathered family had, with no rent nor taxes to
pay. It was a long shed under the tall trees at the bottom of the
garden, boarded over at the top, but with wire-work all across the
front, where a door was made to go in at, in order to clean out the
floor.

Inside, it was the picture of comfort, and of cleanliness too, for
careful Bridget took care of that. Old Netty and her chicks had a place
to themselves--a house within a house--so that the little ones could not
make an escape.

'Oh, I see there are two new-laid eggs,' said Clara. 'I am so glad; we
can take them to poor Simmons when we go to-morrow. I dare say there are
two or three more in the house that I may have.'

'I thought you said the fowls were your own, to do what you liked with,'
sa