!"

"Do you suppose nobody ever does take tea with her?" said Daisy, upon
whose fancy a new shadow of wretchedness darkened.

"I guess not," said Nora. "I don't believe anybody would. I guess nobody
likes her well enough, she is so bad."

"Who gets her tea for her then?"

"Why nobody. She does it herself."

"How _can_ she?"

"I don't know. Marmaduke says she keeps her house clean too, though she
only goes about on her hands and knees."

"Nora," said Daisy, "that isn't like the Bible."

"What isn't?"

"Don't you remember what the Bible says? that whatever we would like
other people to do to us, we should do so to them."

"What do you mean, Daisy?"

"I mean just so."

"But what isn't like the Bible?"

"Why--to let that poor old woman go without what we would like if we
were in her place."

"Why Daisy! Molly Skelton! The Bible does not mean that we ought to go
and make visits to such horrid people as that."

"You said you would like it if you were in her place," observed Daisy,
"and I know _I_ should. I thought so when you told me."

"But, Daisy, she is wicked!"

"Well, Jesus loves wicked people," said Daisy calmly. "Maybe she will
wear a white robe in heaven, and have a crown of gold upon her head."

"Daisy!--she is wicked," exclaimed Nora indignantly. "Wicked people do
not go to heaven."

"Yes, but if Jesus gives them his white robe, they do," said Daisy. "He
came to save wicked people."

"I don't want to talk any more about Molly Skelton," said Nora. "Look,
Daisy!--there's the old mother squirrel peeping out of her hole. Do you
see? Now she is coming out--see her black eyes! now there's her
beautiful feather tail!"--

This subject was to the full as interesting to Daisy as it was to her
friend; and in watching the grey family in the walnut tree and trying to
induce them to come near and get some almonds, the rest of the afternoon
flew by. Only the "mother squirrel" could be tempted near; but she,
older in experience and wisdom than her young ones, did venture into the
neighbourhood of the children, attracted by the nuts they threw down;
and getting pretty close to them, before she would venture quite so far
as where the nuts lay, she sat down on her haunches to look and see
whether all were safe; curling her thick, light plume of a tail up along
her back, or whisking it about in various lines of beauty, while her
bright little black eyes took all the observations they were equal to.
It was u