e King say to you what he said to the
servant who had one talent and didn't do anything?"

"Daisy, I don't want to have you talk to me about it," said Nora, a
little loftily. "I have got Marmaduke to talk to me, and that's as much
as I want."

"_I_ mean to be one of them!" said Daisy gently. "Jesus is the king; and
it makes me so glad to think of it!--so glad, Nora. He is my king, and I
belong to him; and I _love_ to give him all I've got; and so would you,
Nora. I only want to find out all I have got, that I may give it to
him."

Nora went on very assiduously with the covering of the baskets, and
Daisy presently followed her example. But the talk was checked for a
little.

"Nora, Jesus is _your_ king, though," said Daisy again. "He made
everything, and he made you; and he _is_ your king. I wish you would be
his servant too."

Daisy was greatly astonished at the effect of this speech; for Nora
without speaking arose, left her baskets and greens on the ground, and
set off from the spot with an air that said she did not mean to return
to it. Daisy was too bewildered to speak, and only looked after her till
she was too far to be recalled.

What was the matter? Greatly puzzled and dismayed, she tried to find a
possible answer to this question. Left alone on her birthday in the
midst of her business, by her best friend,--what could have brought
about so untoward a combination of circumstances? Daisy could not
understand it; and there was no time to go after Nora to get an
understanding. The baskets must be finished. Luckily there did not much
remain to be done, for Daisy was tired. As soon as her work was out of
her hand, she went to see about the success of her table. It was done; a
nice long, neat table of boards, on trestles; and it was fixed under a
beautiful grove of trees, on the edge of a bank from which the view over
the grounds was charming. Mr. Stilton was just gathering up his tools to
go away, and looked himself so smiling and bright that Daisy concluded
there was reason to hope her party was going to be all right; so with
fresh spirit she went in to her own dinner.

After that it was busy times. The long table was to be spread with a
table-cloth, and then the cups and plates in proper number and position,
leaving the places for the baskets of strawberries. It was a grave
question whether they should be arranged in a pyramid, with roses
filling the spaces, or be distributed all round the table. Daisy and