and said,

"I will give you one of my fine dresses for your little linnet, and
then you needn't wear that old patched calico any more."

"No, no," answered Fanny, "I would not sell my bird for all the
dresses in the world."

This made the selfish, naughty Mary more angry than ever; and she went
around whispering to all the girls to look at the patches in Fanny
Lee's dress. Some of them laughed with Mary, and poor Fanny felt very
much hurt and grieved.

After school, that noon, Frank found her crying alone in her room, and
for the first time in her life, she refused to tell him what was the
matter.

In the afternoon, after school was out, Fanny did not stay, as she
sometimes did, to play on the green with the children; but she took
her book, and turned down into the meadow path alone. Frank felt very
sad when he saw that his sister avoided him; but he followed her into
the woods, and found her sitting in her favorite spot.

It was autumn, and the weather was cooler. Fanny had spread her shawl
down upon a log, and she was now sitting upon it, with her open book
in her lap; but her eyes were bent upon the ground, thoughtfully. A
merry little wren was flitting around and above her, but her cheerful
notes were now unheeded.

[Illustration: THE WREN.]

Frank sat down beside her, and putting one arm about her neck, he
clasped her hand tenderly. Resting his head upon his other hand, he
looked into her face, and said,

[Illustration: FRANK CONSOLING FANNY.]

"Why won't my dear sister tell me what has made her feel so badly."
She did not want to converse, but when Frank told her that he should
be very unhappy if he did not know the cause, she told him all about
it. Frank felt very sorry for his sister, and at first bad feelings
rose in his heart; but he had learned how to conquer them; so he
talked to her, and told her how much happier they were than Mary Day,
and how disagreeable she made herself, with her selfishness and her
vanity; and then he told her that he had read in a book somewhere,
that it was better to live in a mud hovel, with a kind heart, and a
cheerful temper like hers, than to live in a palace without it.

When they went home, Fanny was as happy as ever again, for she found
that her heart was very much lightened by sharing her troubles with
her brother.

The next day when they went to school, Mary Day was not there, and
during the forenoon, Miss Norton received a note from Mary's mother,
saying,