."

"You will be the dearest old lady in the world," returned Hatty,
dropping her work with an adoring look at her Betty. "You are cosier
than other people now, so you are sure to be nicer than ever when you
are old. No wonder Aunt Charlotte loved to have you."

"What a little flatterer you are, Hatty! It is a comfort that I don't
grow vain. Do you know, I think Aunt Charlotte taught me a great deal.
When you get over her little mannerisms and odd ways, you soon find out
what a good woman she really is. She is always thinking of other people;
what she can do to lighten their burdens; and little things give her so
much pleasure. She says the first violet she picks in the hedgerow, or
the sight of a pair of thrushes building their nest in the acacia tree,
makes her feel as happy as a child; 'for in spring,' she said once, 'all
the world is full of young life, and the buds are bursting into flowers,
and they remind me that one day I shall be young and beautiful too.'"

"I think I should like to go and stay with Aunt Charlotte," observed
Hatty, "if you think she would care to have me."

"I am sure she would, dear. Aunt Charlotte loves to take care of
people. You most go in the summer, Hatty; the cottage is so pretty then,
and you could be out in the garden or in the lanes all day. June is the
best month, for they will be making hay in the meadows, and you could
sit on the porch and smell the roses, and watch Aunt Charlotte's bees
filling their honey bags. It is just the place for you, Hatty--so still
and quiet."

This sort of talk lasted most of the morning, until Ella and Katie
returned from school, and Tom sauntered into the room, flushed with his
mental labors, and ready to seek relaxation in his sisters' company.

Bessie left the room and went in search of her mother; when she
returned, a quarter of an hour later, she found Tom sulky and Hatty in
tears.

"It is no use trying to keep the peace," observed Christine, in a vexed
tone. "Tom will tease Hatty, and then she gets cross, and there is no
silencing either of them."

"Come with me, Hatty dear, and help me put my room in order. I have to
finish my unpacking," said Bessie soothingly. "You have been working too
long, and so has Tom. I shall leave him to you, Chrissy." And as Hatty
only moaned a little in her handkerchief, Bessie took the work forcibly
away, and then coaxed her out of the room.

"Why is Tom so horrid to me?" sobbed Hatty "I don't believe he lo