the scent of the flowers. And then, through
her sullen thoughts, the sound of her father's voice came to her.

"Mona! Mona! It's eight o'clock. Ain't you getting up yet? I want you to
see about the breakfast. Your mother isn't well."

Mona jumped up with a start, and felt rather cross in consequence.
"All right, father," she called back. "I'll come as soon as I can,"
but to herself she added, in an injured tone, "I s'pose this is what I've
been had home for! Hard lines, I call it, to have to get up and light the
fire the very first morning."

Her father called through the door again. "The fire's lighted, and
burning nicely, and I've put the kettle on. I lighted it before I went
out. I didn't call 'ee then, because I thought I heard you moving."

Then her father had been up and dressed for an hour or two, and at work
already! A faint sense of shame crossed Mona's mind. "All right,
father," she called back more amiably, "I'll dress as quick as I can.
I won't be more than a few minutes."

"That's a good maid," with a note of relief in his voice, and then she
heard him go softly down the stairs.

It always takes one a little longer than usual to dress in a strange
place, but it took Mona longer than it need have done, for instead of
unpacking her box the night before, and hanging up her frocks, and putting
her belongings neatly away in their places, she had just tumbled
everything over anyhow, to get at her nightdress, and so had left them.
It had taken her quite as long to find the nightdress as it would have to
lift the things out and put them in their proper places, for the garment
was almost at the bottom of the box, but Mona did not think of that.
Now, though, when she wanted to find her morning frock and apron, she grew
impatient and irritable. "Perhaps if I tip everything out on the floor
I'll find the old things that way!" she snapped crossly. "I s'pose I
shan't find them until they've given me all the trouble they can,"
and she had actually thrown a few things in every direction, when she
suddenly stopped and sat back on her heels.

"I've half a mind to put on my best dress again, then I can come and look
for the old one when I ain't in such a hurry." The dress--her best one--
was lying temptingly on a chair close beside her. She hesitated,
looked at it again, and picked it up. As she did so, something fell out
of the pocket. It was her purse, the little blue one her granny had
bought for h