a girl to
do anything for him.

He set to work to plan his beds, and one afternoon was busy marking off
spaces with wooden pegs and a long line of cord. After working some time
he came to the end of his pegs, and was annoyed to find that he had not
enough to finish the particular figure he was planning. He did not like
to drop his line to go for more pegs, as he feared his work was not
secure enough, and would fall astray if the string was not held taut
till the end should be properly secured.

Just as he looked around impatiently, not knowing what to do, he saw
Hetty coming along the path above him, walking slowly and reading. She
was very often reduced to the necessity of taking a story-book as
companion of her leisure hours, now that Mark would have nothing to do
with her. This afternoon Phyllis and Nell were out driving with their
mother, and Miss Davis had seized the opportunity to write letters.
Hetty was therefore thrown on her own resources and was roaming about
with a book. She would have rushed away to Mrs. Kane's at once, but she
knew that this was John Kane's dinner hour. But half an hour hence she
would set off for the village, and have a nice long chat with her
foster-mother.

Hetty descended the winding path with her eyes on her book, and before
she saw him, nearly stumbled against Mark.

"Do you mean to walk over a fellow?" said Mark in an aggrieved tone.

"Oh, Mark, I beg your pardon. I did not know you were here. Now," she
added, looking round wistfully, "if you wouldn't be cross with me what a
nice time we could have working at your garden together."

"If you weren't disagreeable, I suppose you mean. Well, yes, we could.
But you see we're not friends."

"And you won't, won't be?" said Hetty anxiously.

"Well, look here, if you hold this string for me a bit I'll think about
it. My pegs are shaky until the string is fastened up tight, and I can't
drop it, and I must go to the stable-yard for some more pegs. If you
hold this string till I come back, perhaps I will forgive you."

"Oh yes, I will hold it," said Hetty; and down went her book on the
grass, and she took the cord and held it as Mark directed.

"Be sure to keep steady till I come back," he said; "and you mustn't
mind if I am kept a little while. I may have to look for Jack, who has
the key of the storehouse where the pegs are kept."

And off he went.

When he got to the stable-yard he met a groom who was coming to look for
him,