of faults; but I do like to make
people happy. I always did since I was a little child. The person I am
most anxious about at present is Ruth: I love Ruth so very much. You
will be sure to see her this evening, won't you?"

"Sure and certain," said Susy. "I am very much obliged to you, Kathleen;
you have made a great difference in my life."

The two girls parted just by the turnstile. Kathleen passed through on
her way across the common to Mrs. Tennant's house, and Susy went slowly
back to the High Street and the little stationer's shop.

She found Mrs. Church in the act of being deposited in her bath-chair,
and Tom, looking proud and flushed, attending on her. Mrs. Hopkins was
also standing just outside the shop, putting a wrap round the old lady
and tucking her up. When Susy appeared her mother called out to her:

"Come along, you ungrateful girl. Here's Aunt Church going, and
wondering why you have deserted her during the last hour."

"That's just like you, Mary Hopkins," said old Mrs. Church. "You scold
when there's no occasion to, and you withhold scolding when it's due. I
don't blame your daughter Susan for going out with that nice young lady.
I am only too pleased to think that any daughter of yours should be
taken notice of by a young lady of the Miss Kathleen O'Hara type. She's
a splendid girl; and, to tell you the honest truth, none of you are fit
for her to touch you with a pair of tongs."

"Dear, dear!" said Susy. "But she has touched me pretty often. I don't
think you ought to say nasty things of that sort, Aunt Church, for if
you do I may be able to--"

Aunt Church fixed her glittering black eyes on Susan.

"Come here, child," she said.

Susy went up to her somewhat unwillingly.

"My bark is worse than my bite," said old Mrs. Church. "Now look here;
if you bring that charming young lady to see me, and give me notice a
day or so before--Tom can run over and tell me--if you and Tom and Miss
Kathleen O'Hara would come and have tea at my place, why, it's the
freshest of the plumcakes we'd have, not the stalest. And the microscope
should be out handy and in order, and with some prepared plates that my
poor husband used, which I have never shown to anybody from the time of
his death. I have a magnifying-glass, too, that I can put into the
microscope; it will make you see the root of a hair on your head. And I
will--Whisper, Susy!"

Susy somewhat unwillingly bent forward.

"I will give you five shil