away."

"I don't think they do--but I don't see that that matters. You'd like to
go again, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, I'd like to go with Patty. Miss Lester's her teacher, and they've
got a library belonging to their class. You can have a book every week to
bring home." Mona's face grew quite bright, but a faint shadow had crept
over granny's.

"You read a lot, Mona. So many stories and things ain't good for you.
Do you ever read your Bible?"

Mona looked surprised. "N--no. I haven't got it here. It's up at
Lucy's."

Mrs. Barnes groaned. "Oh, child, to think of our not having a Bible in
the house between us!"

"There's the Fam'ly Bible back there," said Mona, quickly, feeling
suddenly that a house without a Bible in it was not safe.

"Yes--but it's never opened, not even to look at the pictures. If you had
one in every room in the house you wouldn't be any the better for it if
you never read them, and--and acted 'pon what you're taught there."

"But if you can't see to read," said Mona, trying to find excuses,
"what's the good of your having a Bible?"

"But you can see, and can read too, and I could till lately, and, anyway,
you can read to me, and that's what I ought to have got you to do.
I feel I haven't done my duty by you, child."

Mona threw up her head. "I don't s'pose we're any worse than some that
read their Bibles every day," she said, complacently. She had often heard
others say that, and thought it rather fine.

"That's not for you or me to say," retorted granny sternly. "That's the
excuse folks always bring out when they ain't ashamed of themselves, but
ought to be. If we ain't any worse, we ain't any better, and until we are
we've no right to speak of others; and if we are--why, we shouldn't think
of doing so. Most folks, though, who say that, do think themselves a deal
better than others, though they don't say so in as many words."

Mona stood staring into the fire, thinking matters over. She was very apt
to take things to herself, and she was trying to assure herself that she
never did think herself better than others--not better even than Millie
Higgins. But she was not very well satisfied with the result.

Granny's voice died away, the sun went down, and the room began to grow
dim. Two lumps of coal fell together, and, bursting into a blaze, roused
Mona from her reverie. She turned quickly, and found her grandmother
gazing at the two halves of the broken tea-cup which she h