her "Offy." When her father died the family was left very poor, and so
Sir Joshua Reynolds wanted to help her mother, who was his sister. He
offered to adopt Offy as his own little daughter and to take her home to
live with him and his sister in his great house in London.

After living on a farm out in the country all her life, you can
imagine how excited Offy was when it was finally decided that she
should go. Her uncle came for her in that same big coach or carriage
in which little Frances Isabelle Gordon liked so much to ride.

What a fine time she must have had playing in the great yard with Sir
Joshua, and with the children who came to him to have their pictures
painted! Very often she would go home to see her mother and sister.
Then Sir Joshua would send his carriage to bring them all back for a
visit with him. What fun it was to show them all around the great
house and yard! There were fine, large trees in the yard, and behind
the house was a small garden with a strawberry patch at one end.

One bright spring morning Offy woke up with a beautiful plan in her
head. She would surprise her uncle. He had been so very busy she felt
sure he had not looked at the strawberry bed for several days, and did
not know the berries were ripe. She would take her little basket and
pick it full of the largest ones for him.

[Illustration: _The Strawberry Girl_]

It was great fun hunting for them, and her basket was almost full when
suddenly she heard steps. It was her uncle and two strange men who
walked with him. She did not have time to hide, but stood there with
her basket on her arm, waiting to hear what they would say.

At first she thought her uncle was going to scold her, and that is why
she looks so shy and half afraid. But no, Sir Joshua soon guessed why
she was picking the strawberries, and he was very glad he could offer
some to his friends. One of the men called Offy "the little strawberry
girl," and kept her with him all the rest of the day.

Sir Joshua seemed to like to look at her that day, and she was not
surprised the next morning when he asked her to bring the basket and
come into his studio, for he wanted to paint her picture. She had had
her picture painted several times before, and knew just about what he
would want her to do.

But this time he had a surprise for her. It was a large mirror which
he placed in such a way that she could look in it and see every stroke
of his pencil and brush as he paint