y knew it was useless to reply. He therefore turned and
sneaked away.

XIII

SUSAN'S BIRTHDAY

"You write a good hand, you can keep accounts, cannot you?" said Sir
Arthur to Mr. Price, as they walked towards the cottage. "I think I
saw a bill of your little daughter's drawing out the other day, which
was very neatly written. Did you teach her to write?"

"No, sir," said Price, "I can't say I did that, for she mostly taught
it to herself; but I taught her a few sums, as far as I knew, on
winter nights when I had nothing else to do."

"Your daughter shows that she has been well taught," said Sir Arthur;
"and her good conduct is a credit to you and her mother."

"You are very good, very good indeed, sir, to speak in this way," said
the delighted father.

"But I mean to do more than pay you with words," said Sir Arthur. "You
are attached to your own family, perhaps you may become attached to
me, when you know me, and we shall have many chances of judging one
another. I want no one to do my hard work. I only want a steady,
honest man, like you, to collect my rents, and I hope, Mr. Price, you
will do that for me."

"I hope, sir," said Price, with joy and gratitude glowing in his
honest face, "that I'll never give you cause to regret your goodness
to me."

"And what are my sisters about here?" said Sir Arthur, entering the
cottage and going behind the two ladies, who were busy measuring a
pretty colored calico.

"It is for Susan, my dear brother. I knew she did not keep that guinea
for herself," said Miss Somers. "I have just asked her mother to tell
me what became of it. Susan gave it to her father; but she must not
refuse a gown of our choosing this time; and I am sure she will not,
because her mother, I see, likes it. And, Susan, I hear that instead
of becoming Queen of the May this year, you were sitting in your
mother's room as she was ill. Your mother has a little color in her
cheeks now."

"Oh, ma'am," said Mrs. Price, "I'm a different being. Joy, I think,
has done it."

"Then," said Miss Somers, "I hope you will be able to come out on your
daughter's birthday, which, I hear, is on the twenty-fifth of this
month. Make haste and get quite well before that day, for my brother
means that all the boys and girls of the village shall have a dance on
Susan's birthday."

"Yes," said Sir Arthur, "and I hope on that day, Susan, you will be
very happy with your little friends upon their play-green. I sha