ie, she and Mabel went down to the vacant cottage, and
occupied themselves for about two hours busily and happily in rendering
it fit for their purpose. They were determined to do all the scrubbing
and cleaning themselves, so on that and the two following afternoons all
the time they could spare was devoted to the work.

Having got it thoroughly bright and clean, they proceeded to arrange a
variety of odd pieces of furniture, dragged by Minnie from their place
of concealment in a large attic, where such things were allowed to
accumulate, and supplemented by various old benches, which the gardener
had been only too glad to get rid of.

These had been transported to their place of consignment by him during
the early hours of the morning, when the lazy inhabitants were still
wrapped in slumber, the hour being discriminately chosen to avoid the
notice of such miners as might be going or returning from the pit.

These arrangements being successfully carried out by Thursday evening,
Minnie paid a visit to all the houses which contained children, and
asked leave that they might attend a small treat which they intended to
provide for their enjoyment on the following Saturday.

Various were the forms of reception which she received. Some regarded
the proposal with contempt, enquiring with ironical interest what manner
of "treat" they were going to stand, and whether they would not include
parents also in their invitations, Others affected anger, and wondered
what the "likes of them" had to do coming among poor folk's bairns, and
stuffing their heads with their "high and mighty nonsense," whatever
style of absurdity such a term might be held to describe.

However, she won over most of them with her bright winning manner, and
sweet, unaffected graciousness, and seemed when she left their dirty and
untidy dwellings to leave something behind in them that had never been
there before.

On Friday evening she and Mabel had a wonderful shopping expedition, to
provide the necessary utensils for the preparation of their
entertainment. These absorbed the greater part of their treasure, but
happily Mabel had some of her pocket-money left which was a great help.

Then they made everything ready for the morrow, the whole forenoon of
which was to be devoted to cooking, for they had mutually agreed that
all the eatables were to be of their own manufacture--unless, indeed,
they were found to be unpalatable to their guests, in which case the