would be content with evening papers, we printers might keep better
hours."

"There now!" said Mrs. Rowles, venturing on a short laugh "Do you
know, I never thought of when the morning papers get printed."

"There's a many as thoughtless as you, and more so."

Mitchell laughed scornfully. His wife also laughed a very little, and
baby chuckled as if he too thought his aunt's ignorance of the world
very amusing; but none of these laughs moved Juliet even to smile.

Then Emma Rowles began to tie her bonnet-strings, and to pull her
mantle on her shoulders.

"I will take back the empty basket, please," she said. "And,
Thomas,--Mary,--I want you to let me take something else."

"There's not much you can take," said Thomas.

"Will you lend me one of your children?"

"Oh, not my precious, precious baby-boy!" cried Mary, throwing aside
the mantle. "He's the only baby we've got now!"

"No, not baby; I should be rather afraid of him. But one of the
others."

"Well--" and Mrs. Mitchell hesitated.

"Take me," said Juliet, in a low, hard voice. "I'm that stupid and
awkward and careless that I'm no good to anybody. And I don't want to
learn, and I don't want to be good. All I want is mutton-chops and
puddings, and new boots."

Her sullen little face stared at her aunt with a look of stolid
indifference on it. Was it possible that poverty had pinched her
child's heart so hard as to have pinched all softness and sweetness
out of it?

Mrs. Rowles's heart was full of softness and sweetness.

"May I take Juliet home with me? I can't promise mutton-chops, but
there will be beans and bacon. And boots perhaps we can manage."

"I don't like parting with any of them. Though, to be sure, Florry can
mind baby; or even little Amy can. Juliet, my child, shall I let you
go?" and Mrs. Mitchell clasped the girl in her arms, and tears
streamed down the mother's face, while Juliet stood as stony and
unmoved as ever.

"She's got no clothes for going on a visit," said Mitchell.

"She can have some of my girl's; they are just of a size."

"All right, then, Emma. You're a good sister, you are. Not one of my
people has come forward like this. They are all so high and mighty and
so well-to-do in the world, they can't turn their eyes down so low as
me and mine. But you've give me a turn for the better, Emma Rowles.
You'll see I'll be at work on Monday night, if not sooner."

Juliet being lent to her, Mrs. Rowles felt that she might now