Carty to come in some
day and help us; and I think we could greatly improve his home."

"Oh, I know he'd like it," said Gerty; "'twould be grand! May I help?"

"Yes, you may do what you can; but Kate'll be the best hand; she's
strong, and knows how to do cleaning very well."

"Who's she?" said Gerty.

"Kate?--She's Mrs. M'Carty's daughter in the next house. Mr. Flint does
them many a good turn--saws wood, and so on. They do most of his
washing; but they can't half pay him all the kindness he's done that
family. Kate's a clever girl; she'll be glad to come and work for him
any day. I'll ask her."

"Will she come to-morrow?"

"Perhaps she will."

"Uncle True's going to be gone all day to-morrow," said Gerty; "he's
going to get in Mr. Eustace's coal. Wouldn't it be a good time?"

"Very," said Mrs. Sullivan. "I'll try and get Kate to come to-morrow."

Kate came. The room was thoroughly cleaned and put in order. Gerty's new
clothes were delivered to her own keeping; she was neatly dressed in one
suit, the other placed in a little chest found in the pantry, and which
accommodated her small wardrobe very well.

It was the result of Mrs. Sullivan's, Kate's, and Gerty's combined
labour which astonished True on his return from his work; and the
pleasure he manifested made the day a memorable one in Gerty's life, one
to be marked in her memory as long as she lived, as being the first in
which she had known _that_ happiness--perhaps the highest earth,
affords--of feeling that she had been instrumental in giving joy to
another. Gerty had entered heart and soul into the work, when she had
been allowed. She could say with truth, "_We_ did it--Mrs. Sullivan,
Kate, and _I_." None but a loving heart like Mrs. Sullivan's would have
sympathized in the feeling which made Gerty so eager to help. But _she_
did, and allotted to her many little services, which the child felt
herself more blessed in being permitted to perform than she would have
done at almost any gift bestowed upon her. She led True about to show
him how cleverly Mrs. Sullivan had made the most of the room and the
furniture; how, by moving the bed into a recess, she had reserved the
whole square-area, and made a parlour of it. It was some time before he
could be made to believe that half of his property had not been spirited
away, so incomprehensible was it to him that so much additional space
and comfort could be acquired by a little system. But his astonishment
an