her there is anything in it or not. As it is, you
see, you have spoilt all my turnips. If we hadn't found it out in good
time, we should have been left without any for the whole season.
Don't you see, dear, how important it is?"

The importance of it was so apparent, and what she had done appeared so
overwhelmingly naughty, it seemed to Poppy as though all joy and happiness
had gone out of her life for ever. It was dreadful, intolerable.
In trying to help Cousin Charlotte as Esther had wished, she had done harm
instead of good. Her beautiful secret was over, and instead of being a
help she had been a naughty, foolish little girl, whom these strange new
people would wish they had never seen, while every one else would laugh
when they heard the story. She felt herself covered with shame and
disgrace; she was humiliated and miserable; her little lip quivered
piteously, her eyes filled, and she was too tired and hurt to fight
against her woe.

Miss Charlotte's kind eyes saw the humiliation in the pretty, tired little
face, and held out her hand. "Never mind, dear; as it happens there is no
harm done; Ephraim shall choose another spot for the turnips, and you
shall have that piece of ground for your own garden. It would never do to
destroy a second lot of seeds by digging the bed all over again.
Good evening, Ephraim, I'll see you to-morrow."

So, thanks to Cousin Charlotte, Poppy was saved the disgrace of having
cried before Ephraim; her tears did not fall; she winked them away, and
her lip grew steadier. The thought restored her spirits, but her great
pleasure in her scheme was dashed.

"And I sowed the parsley on purpose for Tousin Charlotte, only 'twas to be
a secret," she confided to Esther as she was being put to bed that night,
"to help her, like you said. She could have some to use, and I was going
to sell most of it and give the money to her."

Esther did not smile; indeed her eyes were misty as she took her little
sister on her lap and kissed her on the top of her head. "It will be all
right, dear," she said, "and--and you are the first of us to begin to do
something useful; it was splendid of you to think of it. I wish I knew
what I could do," she added wistfully, her cheek resting on Poppy's curls.

"I'll try and fink of something for you," said Poppy gravely. "P'r'aps by
the morning I'll have finked of something _very_ nice--then won't you be
glad?"

But she fell asleep before she had come to