, by the new ones being bought
of a smaller size than usual, and only the youngest being supplied with
these.

Thus the minds of the two girls were occupied during their leisure time
in devising new schemes for the furtherance of the good work they had
originated, and were so kept free from the morbid and unhealthy train of
thought into which girls of their age with nothing better to interest
them are so apt to fall. And thus their work went on, and the month of
probation for which Minnie had asked was nearly at an end.

Some fruits of their labours were already beginning to make themselves
visible. The children always made it a point to appear on Saturdays, at
least, with clean faces and neatly-combed hair, and altogether as tidy
generally as circumstances would permit; and were to be found, on other
afternoons, instead of lying about the little gardens, enhancing their
disorder, hard at work with their spades and other implements, engaged
in weeding them and setting them in order; so that the outward aspect of
Hollowmell was being improved at any rate, upon which indication of
success the two friends congratulated themselves much, and felt more
than repaid for their efforts and sacrifices both of time and money.

Mr. Kimberly had not given much thought to Minnie's freak, as he called
it, after consenting to it, and had in fact dismissed it from his mind
and forgotten all about it, when Minnie informed him one evening that it
was now a month since they commenced their work, and as they had
obtained his permission to use the house for only that length of time,
she begged him to continue it if the house were still unlet.

"O, yes, I remember now," he said. "The house at the end of the hollow.
No, it is not let to anybody but you. I had almost forgotten that it was
you who occupied it till this moment. I was just remarking to Menzies,
the manager down at the pit, the other day that it was by far the most
respectable house in the place."

"I suppose that is because we keep the windows clean," laughed Minnie.

"Well, as you seem to be such good tenants--you and your friend--I don't
think I can do better than give you another lease of it," remarked Mr.
Kimberly, smiling at her delighted face. "By the way, I suppose that is
some of your work--the general improvement in the grass plots?"

"O, no, papa, that is what the children do themselves. And what do you
think, papa, one of the little fellows actually comes regularly