d Susan, looking round upon her companions
with a most loving smile: "I hope, while I live, I shall never forget
your goodness to me last Mayday. Now that I've my pretty guinea-hen
safe once more, I should think of returning your money."

"No! no! no!" was the cry, "we don't want the money--keep it--keep
it--you want it for your father."

"Well," said Susan, "I am not too proud to accept it. I will keep your
money for my father. Perhaps some time or other I may be able to
earn----"

"Oh," said Philip, "don't let us talk of earning; don't let her talk
to us of money now; she hasn't had time hardly to look at poor Daisy
and her guinea-hen. Come, we had better go and let her have them all
to herself."

The children moved away, but Philip himself was the very last to stir
from the garden-gate. He stayed, first, to tell Susan that it was Rose
who tied the ribbons on Daisy's head. Then he stayed a little longer
to let her hear the story of the guinea-fowl, and to tell her who it
was that brought the hen home from the Abbey.

As Philip finished speaking, Susan was already feeding her long-lost
favorite. "My pretty guinea-hen," said Susan, "my naughty guinea-hen
that flew away from me, you shall never serve me so again. I must cut
your nice wings, but I won't hurt you."

"Take care!" cried Philip, "you'd better, indeed you'd better let me
hold her, while you cut her wings."

When this was done, which it certainly never could have been had
Philip not held the hen for Susan, he remembered his mother had given
him a message for Mrs. Price. This led to another quarter of an hour's
delay, for Philip had the whole story of the guinea-hen to tell over
again to Mrs. Price, and as the farmer came in while it was going on,
it was only polite to begin at the beginning once more. Farmer Price
was so pleased to see Susan happy again with her two favorites, that
he said he must himself see Daisy fed, and Philip found that he was
wanted to hold the jug of milk, from which Susan's father now filled
the pan for Daisy. When Philip at last left the cottage, Bab and her
maid Betty were staring out of the window as usual. Seeing them after
he had left the garden, he at once turned back to see if he had shut
the gate fast, lest the guinea-hen might stray out and again fall into
Barbara's hands.

X

BARBARA'S ACCIDENT

As the day went on, Miss Barbara became more and more annoyed that her
meanness had been found out, but she had