"

"My patience! how the Siamese do leave their things round," she
exclaimed, as she surveyed her room after making up the fire and
polishing off Boo. "I'll put things in order, and then mend up my rags,
if I can find my thimble. Now, let me see;" and she went to exploring
her closet, bureau, and table, finding such disorder everywhere that her
courage nearly gave out.

She had clothes enough, but all needed care; even her best dress had two
buttons off, and her Sunday hat but one string. Shoes, skirts, books,
and toys lay about, and her drawers were a perfect chaos of soiled
ruffles, odd gloves, old ribbons, boot lacings, and bits of paper.

"Oh, my heart, what a muddle! Mrs. Minot wouldn't think much of me if
she could see that," said Molly, recalling how that lady once said she
could judge a good deal of a little girl's character and habits by a
peep at her top drawer, and went on, with great success, to guess how
each of the school-mates kept her drawer.

"Come, missionary, clear up, and don't let me find such a glory-hole
again, or I'll report you to the society," said Molly, tipping the whole
drawer-full out upon the bed, and beguiling the tiresome job by keeping
up the new play.

Twilight came before it was done, and a great pile of things loomed up
on her table, with no visible means of repair,--for Molly's work-basket
was full of nuts, and her thimble down a hole in the shed-floor, where
the cats had dropped it in their play.

"I'll ask Bat for hooks and tape, and papa for some money to buy
scissors and things, for I don't know where mine are. Glad I can't do
any more now! Being neat is such hard work!" and Molly threw herself
down on the rug beside the old wooden cradle in which Boo was blissfully
rocking, with a cargo of toys aboard.

She watched her time, and as soon as her father had done supper, she
hastened to say, before he got to his desk,--

"Please, papa, I want a dollar to get some brass buttons and things to
fix Boo's clothes with. He wore a hole in his new trousers coasting
down the Kembles' steps. And can't I wash him? He needs it, and Miss Bat
won't let me have a tub."

"Certainly, child, certainly; do what you like, only don't keep me. I
must be off, or I shall miss Jackson, and he's the man I want;" and,
throwing down two dollars instead of one, Mr. Bemis hurried away, with a
vague impression that Boo had swallowed a dozen brass buttons, and Miss
Bat had been coasting somewhere in a