ou little girls
must both come and have luncheon with me some day." She bade them
good-night and walked off, feeling that she had done her whole duty.

"It is time for me to go home," said Helen. "I didn't practice my half
hour this evening, so I must go and do it now."

"I didn't practice either," said Rosanna. "I want to work hard at my
music if we are to play duets. I don't want to be the one who always has
to play secondo. Besides, I have a bee-_u_-ti-ful secret for
to-morrow."

CHAPTER V

When Rosanna went to bed that night she commenced by sitting down on the
floor and taking off her own socks and slippers. Then while Minnie stood
looking at her in pleased surprise, she carefully took off her hair
ribbon and folded it up!

"Minnie," she said, "have you any little girls in your family?"

"Yes, Miss Rosanna, ever so many."

"As little as me?" pursued Rosanna.

"Some littler, and some just about like you, and some larger."

"Well," said Rosanna, "do they most of them dress and undress
themselves?"

"Indeed yes!" said Minnie. "They would get good and spanked if they
tried any funny work with their mothers. Not that it's not all right,
Miss Rosanna, for you to be cared for, but land, my sisters are all too
busy to bother! And besides, those children have got to learn to do for
themselves sooner or later, and the sooner the better. And I will say,
Miss Rosanna, good wages nor anything will _ever_ make me think it is a
good thing to have my babying you along as big as you are. I don't see
why I can't earn my money just as honest and give just as much work for
it by learnin' you to stand on your own feet, as you might say."

"Well," said Rosanna wisely, "let's make a game of it, Minnie. While
grandmother is away, play you are working for _me_ and teach me to be
like your little girls."

"Bless your heart!" said Minnie tenderly. "I have feelings, you will
find, Miss Rosanna, if I _am_ only a maid, and I certainly do think you
are a dear child. Whatever gets some of the queer ideas in your head I
don't know!"

"Why, my little new friend Helen Culver dresses herself and combs her
own hair and everything. And all your little girls in your family fix
themselves, and when I told Helen that you dress me she looked sort of
funny. Then suppose you had to go away for awhile, what would I do? None
of the other maids know where my things are and, besides, I don't like
to have anyone but you fix me and button