sion to cheer the heart
of Hepsy.

By this time the children were growing dangerously attached to him.
Willie wanted to sit on his knee all the time, and Georgie was unwilling
to go and rock the baby, which was crying in the sitting-room, unless
the clergyman went out there too.

But Father Brighthopes had a peculiar faculty of governing young people.
With a few kind words, and a promise of following soon, he despatched
Georgie to work at the cradle, with a good heart; and, telling Lizzie
and Willie that he wished to be alone a little while, he sent them away,
well contented with the books and kisses he gave them.

Mrs. Royden's household affairs progressed unusually well that morning,
and she was remarkably pleasant, until Sam, who could not keep out of
mischief, even with his sprained ankle to take care of, occasioned a
slight disaster. He had made a lasso of a whip-lash to throw over the
children's heads when they should pass through the kitchen, and
commenced the exercise of his skill upon the unfortunate Hepsy. Every
time she passed he would cast the loop at her neck, but entirely without
success in his experiments; and at length the bright idea occurred to
him to make an attempt upon her foot. Spreading out the lasso in her
way, he pulled up suddenly as she walked over it, and, after several
efforts, perseverance resulted in a capture. The loop caught Hepsy's
toe.

Sam had not reckoned on the disastrous consequence of such a seizure.
The unsuspecting victim was stepping very quick, and the impediment of
the whip-lash threw her head-foremost to the floor. She was not much
hurt, but an earthen dish she was carrying was shattered to pieces.
Frightened at the catastrophe, Sam hastened to undo the loop; but Mrs.
Royden was on the spot before he had put the fatal evidence against him
out of his hand.

"You careless creature!" she exclaimed, in a sharp key, regarding Hepsy
with contracted features, "can't you walk across the floor without
falling down? If you can't----"

"Samuel tripped me," murmured Hepsy, gathering up the fragments of the
dish.

"O, I didn't!" cried Sam, putting up his elbows as Mrs. Royden flew to
box his ears.

"What are you doing with that lash?" she demanded, after two or three
vain attempts to get in a blow.

"Nothing; only, it was lying on the floor, and I went to pick it up just
as Hepsy was going along; and, you see," stammered Sam, "she ketched her
foot and fell down."

"Give me