n't get him."

"I have hunted for him so long!" mourned Faith, "and his shell is so red;
but, Ernest, didn't you notice what it said on that bowl?"

"Yes, I did; but Gladys is a great baby and she isn't going to get
everything. Tell her you'll exchange the prince for that baa-ing doll of
hers, if you like it. I tell you what, Faith, I've had about enough of her
after that boat business. If she's going to stay on here I shall go off
with the fellows."

Meanwhile Gladys had seized the beautiful Vera and drawn Ellen off upstairs
to their room. The maid saw the signs of storm in her face, and her own
grew troubled, for it was one thing to vex Gladys and quite another to
appease her.

"I'm not going to stay here," announced the little girl, as soon as the
door was closed, her breath coming fast. "Faith and Ernest are the most
selfish, impolite children I ever saw!"

Ellen sighed, and, sitting down, drew the child into her lap.

She continued excitedly: "We went turtle-hunting and found a lot of
scrabbly things that I couldn't bear, but Faith and Ernest like them. Then
when we found a pretty little young one that I wouldn't be a bit afraid of,
Faith kept it for herself. Just think, when I was company, and she had all
the others beside. I'm just crazy to have it, and they're _very_ hard to
find and we can't _ever_ find another. Shouldn't you think she'd feel
ashamed? Then when, we went out in the boat, just because I moved around a
little and made the boat rock, Ernest brought us in when I didn't want to
come a bit. I even _told_ him I didn't want to come in, because I wanted to
see a part of the pond that looked pretty, but he brought us just the same.
Did you ever _hear_ of such impoliteness?"

Ellen had had too much experience with the little girl not to know that
there was another side to this story; but she gathered Gladys down in her
arms with the curly head on her shoulder, and, while a few hot tears fell
from the brown eyes, she rocked her, and it comforted the little girl's
sore places to feel her nurse's love.

"I'm glad Ernest brought you in," said Ellen, after a minute of silent
rocking. "If anything happened to you, you know that would be the last of
poor Ellen. I could never go back to town."

Gladys gave a sob or two.

"These children haven't nearly so much as you have," went on Ellen quietly.
"Perhaps Faith was as happy over the little turtle as you are over your
talking doll. She hasn't any rich mot