asant to look at. It was a new place altogether.

Now, I think that grandmother was something like that good fairy, for it
was perfectly wonderful what a change she made, in the course of a few
hours, in that dismal house. No sooner had she had a cup of tea, than
she took off her bonnet and shawl, and set to work to put things in
order. First, she gave the babies a warm bath, and cried over them, and
loved them to her heart's content; and then, as they had no clean
clothes to put on, she wrapped them in some of her own garments which
she took from her bundle, and, soothed by the unusual comfort and
cleanliness, Enoch and Elijah were soon fast asleep.

Then grandmother trotted downstairs again for more hot water, and washed
Poppy's poor sick mother, and brushed her tangled hair, and then dressed
her in one of her own clean night-gowns, smelling of the sweet field of
clover in which it had been dried, and put on the bed a pair of her own
sheets, which she had brought with her in case they might be useful.

Oh, how grateful Poppy's mother was!

'Granny,' she said, as she gave her a kiss, 'I haven't been so
comfortable never since I was ill; I declare I feel quite sleepy.'

'Well, go to sleep, my lass,' said grandmother; 'that's the very best
thing you can do.' So she laid the babies beside their mother in bed,
and she and Poppy went downstairs.

'Now, my little lass,' said the old woman, 'you and me will soon tidy
things up here.'

It was wonderful to Poppy to see how quickly her grandmother could work.
She was a brisk, active old woman, and in a very short time all the
cups, and saucers, and plates were washed and put by, the fireside was
swept, and the kitchen table was scoured. Then, leaving Poppy to wash
the floor, her grandmother carried off the heap of dirty clothes lying
in the corner into the tiny back kitchen, and, long before Poppy's
mother or the babies woke, there were two lines of little garments hung
out to be quickly dried in the scorching afternoon sun.

'And now, Poppy,' said grandmother, 'fetch my basket, my good little
lass, and we'll unpack it.'

Oh, what a basket that was! Poppy's eyes opened wide with astonishment
when she saw all that it contained. There was a whole pound of fresh
country butter, a loaf of grandmother's own home-made bread, a plum
cake she had made on purpose for Poppy, a jar of honey made by
grandmother's bees, and a box of fresh eggs laid by grandmother's hens,
a bottle o