awful
pair to fly me. Well, come now," he added, with a broad, approving smile at
the laughing mother and child, "I'm right down glad to see you playin' a
game. I've thought, the last few days, you was lookin' kind o' peaked and
down in the mouth; so, seein' as we found a letter for you that was somehow
overlooked this afternoon, I decided I'd bring it along. Might be fetchin'
you a fortune, for all I knew."

Mrs. Driscoll's smile vanished, and her eyes looked eagerly into the
good-humored red face, as Mr. Knapp sought deliberately in his coat pocket
and brought forth an envelope, at sight of which Alma's mother flushed and
paled.

"You have a valentine, too!" cried the little girl.

"Yes, it is from father. Won't you sit down, Mr. Knapp?"

"No, no, I'll just run along and let you read your letter in peace. I know
you want to, and I hope it brings good news. If it don't, you just remember
it's always darkest before day. Frank Driscoll's bound to come out right
side up. He's a good feller."

So saying, the kind friend to this couple took his departure, and Mrs.
Driscoll's eager fingers tore open the envelope.

At the first four words, "It's all right, Nettie," she crushed the paper
against her happy eyes and then hugged Alma.

It _was_ all right. Mr. Driscoll had a position at last, and by the time
summer should come he was sure they could be together again.

After the letter had been read and re-read, the two washed and put away the
supper dishes with light hearts, and the next morning Mrs. Driscoll went
off smiling to the factory, leaving a rather excited little girl to finish
the morning work and arrange the lunch in the tin pail which was to be
opened beside Miss Joslyn's desk.

There were two other excited children getting ready for school that
morning. They had both slept on their troubles, but were very differently
prepared to meet the day. Ada Singer's mental attitude was, "I'll never
give in, and Lucy Berry will find it out."

Lucy felt comforted, but there remained now the great step of eating lunch
with Alma and being punished by Ada in consequence. Her heart fluttered at
the thought; but she was going to try not to think of herself at all, but
to do right and let the consequences take care of themselves.

"There isn't any other way," her mother said to her at parting. "Anything
which you do in any other spirit has simply to be done over again some
time."

"Not one error-fairy shall cheat me to-d