and throw those
weeds out."

At that moment poor Penelope very nearly forsook her allegiance to Aunt
Sophia. She ran downstairs trembling. In the hall she was received by a
bevy of sisters.

"Well, Pen, and so you have bearded the lion! You took her to her room,
did you? And what did she say? Did she tell you when she was going away?"

"Yes, did she?" came from Verena's lips; and Pauline's eager eyes, and
the eyes of all the other children, asked the same question.

Penelope gave utterance to a great sigh.

"I thought I'd be the goodest of you all," she said. "I maded up my mind
that I just would; but I doesn't like Aunt Sophia, and I think I'll be
the naughtiest."

"No, you little goose; keep on being as good as you can. She can't
possibly stay long, for we can't afford it," said Verena.

"She'll stay," answered Penelope. "She have made up her mind. She throwed
away my lovely grasses; she called them weeds, my darlings that I did
stoop so much to pick, and made my back all aches up to my neck. And she
said she hated little girls that pawed her. Oh, I could cry! I did so
want to be the goodest of you all, and I thought that I'd get sugar-plums
and perhaps pennies. And I thought she'd let me tell her when you was all
bad. Oh, I hate her now! I don't think I care to be took out of the
nursery if she's about."

"You certainly are a caution, Penny," said Verena. "It is well that you
have told us what your motives are. Believe me, there are worse places
than that despised nursery of yours. Now, I suppose we must get some sort
of dinner or tea for her. I wonder what Betty is doing to-day, if her
head aches, and if----"

"Oh, come along; let's go and find out," said Pauline. "I feel so
desperate that I have the courage for anything."

It is to be owned that the Dales did not keep an extensive establishment.
Old John pottered about the gardens and did what little gardening he
thought necessary. He also did odd jobs about the house. Besides John,
there was Betty. Betty ruled supreme as cook and factotum in the kitchen.
Betty never asked any one for orders; she got what she considered
necessary from the local tradesmen, or she did without. As a rule she did
without. She said that cooking was bad for her--that it made her head and
back ache. On the days when Betty's head or back ached there was never
any dinner. The family did not greatly mind. They dined on these
occasions on bread, either with butter or without. Bet