he most stupid and absurd one that could be
thought of. Some people come into the shop every day, and to think I
am only to say 'yes' and 'no' to them is ridiculous."

"But all those young men you met on Sunday--surely you knew some of
them in a different way than just coming into the shop?" said Kate.

"No, I don't," replied her cousin; "I never saw them until I came
here," she added, laughing.

Kate looked a little disappointed. "I--I thought you knew them so
well, they seemed so friendly--that they must be friends of your
brothers--that your father knew their friends and all about them,"
stammered Kate.

"You little goose! what difference can it make to us, whether my father
and grandfather knew theirs, or whether we met last week for the first
time?" said Marion, laughing.

But Kate was not satisfied. "I wish I could talk to mother about it,"
she said, half aloud.

"For patience sake don't look so solemn and talk so seriously about a
little thing like that, and as to telling your mother everything, why
no sensible girl of any spirit would think of such nonsense, for she
would know that her mother could not understand about things she had
never seen or heard of. Now, don't be silly, Kate, and make your
mother uncomfortable about you. We went to church last Sunday on
purpose that you might tell her we had been, and after that she will be
satisfied, unless you tell her something on purpose to make her anxious
about you." And Marion went to serve another customer, feeling sure
that Kate would not say anything about these acquaintances now.

Kate certainly did not want to say anything that would make her mother
anxious. Only this morning she had received a letter from her mother
saying she had lost almost all her fears concerning her welfare now,
for Kate's letters had given such a faithful account of Mrs. Maple's
strict ways, and the stringent rule about chance acquaintances, and her
resolution to induce her cousins to go with her to a Bible-class very
soon, that Mrs. Haydon grew almost as hopeful as Kate about the future.

And Kate was quite sincere in her desire to induce her cousins to spend
their Sundays differently, and she thought if she went with them to see
the various sights of London just once or twice they would be willing
to go with her afterwards. The following Sunday morning when they were
dressing to go out Marion said, "Where do you think we are going
to-day, Kate?"

"You said you woul