yed!"

[Illustration: THE BROKEN ROSEBUD.]

Then Stephens told how he had seen Master Herbert walking about the garden
with Neptune, and that, as he was at a distance, the flowers had been
destroyed before he got up to the place. "But Master Herbert shall suffer
for this," said Stephens; "I mean to tell his papa about it this very
night."

Caroline knew well how severely Herbert would be punished, and her heart
softened towards her brother. "Has Neptune done any harm to the other
flowers?" she asked Stephens.

"No, miss," said Stephens; "for, do you see, the cat ran up that tree
there, and got over the wall, and the dog kept dancing about among the
flowers, trying to get his heavy body up after it."

"Well, Stephens," said Caroline, "since only my flowers have suffered,
will you please not tell papa this time? I can get up early in the morning
and tie them up a little, if you could help to rake it smooth for me."

"That is very kind of you, miss," replied Stephens, admiringly; "but what
about the rose you have been watching so carefully all this week?"

"Isn't it strange?" said Caroline; "I came to pull it at mamma's request,
and see, it is only broken with quite a long stem to it."

To Herbert's great surprise, Caroline returned with a bright smiling face,
and said nothing about the state she had found her garden in.

The next morning Caroline got up much earlier than her usual time for
rising, but not so early as she intended, for there was a good deal of
hard work before her garden could be made neat again. Dressing herself
quickly, she ran out, not even taking time to put on her bonnet, so eager
was she to begin; when to her surprise, there was Herbert busy at work
with a trowel smoothing the ground and propping up the earth round the
crushed flowers. She stood for some time scarcely believing it possible,
half thinking she must be dreaming; for Herbert was so fond of his bed,
once he was in it, that it was always a very difficult matter to get him
out of it. Now here he was, at six o'clock in the morning, hard at work,
as if his very life depended upon it. She ventured at last to step close
up to him, and tapped him on the shoulder, not very sure whether he would
feel angry or pleased to be caught at his novel employment. She did not
notice that her mamma was standing by the garden gate; for Mrs. Ashcroft,
having a bad headache, had got up early also, and had come out, in the
hope that the morning air woul