while Miss Grace ate and drank, they sat and
talked to her, and presently Mrs. Dawson poured into her sympathetic
ear all their difficulties about the school for Jessie. Miss Grace
listened with the greatest attention, the matter seemed to interest
her immensely, far more, in fact, than it did Jessie, indeed Jessie
wished very much that they would talk of something else, for Miss
Grace grew quite quiet and thoughtful, and ceased to notice the
pretty things about her, or to talk of things that were interesting
to Jessie, and Jessie was sorry. She became interested enough,
though, presently, when Miss Grace, having finished her tea and risen
to go, suddenly said--

"Well, Mrs. Dawson, I think you will have to let me solve the
difficulty of Jessie's education for you, and there is nothing I
should like better. You see, our home is quite twenty minutes' walk
nearer you than the school-house, and if you will let Jessie come to
me, instead of going to school, I will teach her to the best of my
ability, and enjoy doing so. At any rate, while she is a little
thing. You see, she would not have to come and go twice a day, in
fact, she need hardly come every day--but we can arrange the details
later, if you agree to it. Now think it over well, and we will talk
about it again in a few days' time. And don't say 'no,' because you
think it will be too much for me to do, for I should love to educate
and train a little girl in the way _I_ think she should be trained.
It will be for me a most interesting experience. Now, Jessie, what
do you say? Would you like to come to school with me?"

"Like it!" Neither Jessie nor her grandparents could find words to
say how much they would like it, nor how grateful they were to Miss
Barley; but at the same time they did feel it was too much for them
to accept of her. Before, though, they had found words to express
their feeling, or had stammered out half their thanks, the sound of
the church bells came floating up across the fields, a signal to them
all to part.

"I must fly," cried Miss Grace. "Do you think I can _run_ through
the lanes without shocking any one? I must go home before I go to
church, or my sister will be quite alarmed," and away she hurried as
fast as she could.

Patience had only time to carry in the tea-things, and leave them to
wash on her return, for she had herself and Jessie to dress and get
ready.

They were in time though, after all, for their feet kept