r eyes and go to sleep."

Effie pressed her warm young lips on the older woman's brow, and then
ran out of the room.

There was a large nursery upstairs, where everything at the present
moment was, as Effie's mother had said, at sixes and sevens. The
nursemaid, a young girl of seventeen, was not up to her duties--the
children ruled her, instead of her ruling the children. Effie, however,
could be masterful enough when she liked. She had a natural sense of
order, and she soon put things straight in the nursery. The children
were undressed quickly and put to bed; and then Effie, taking the baby
in her arms, asked Susan to go downstairs.

"You can have your supper," she said. "I will look after baby."

"I thought my missus would like me to take baby to her," said the girl.

"No; I will look after him for the present," said Effie. "Mother is
tired, and she must sleep. Run away, Susan, and have your supper, and
come back here as quickly as you can."

"Yes, Miss Effie; and I am sure I am very much obliged to you. You 'as a
wonderful way with the children, and I only wish I could learn it."

Susan left the room. Pressing the baby's soft curly head against her
breast, Effie began to pace up and down with it. The baby was three
months old; he was fractious and disinclined to sleep, but when his
sister began to purr a soft song into his ear, an old nursery rhyme
which her mother had sung to her long ago, his wide-open eyes closed,
and he sank off into peaceful slumber.

When she saw that he was quite sound asleep, Effie put him in his cot,
drew the cot near the crib where Philip, a dark-eyed little boy of five,
lay, and bending down to kiss Phil, said:

"You are to be baby's nurse until Susan comes up; if he wakes or begins
to cry, just pat him on his back. I am most anxious that mother should
have a quiet time; she is just worn out, and if she hears baby cry she
is certain to send for him. Now, Phil, you are a very clever little man
when you like--I trust to you to keep baby from crying until Susan comes
back!"

"'Es, that I will," replied Phil, in a voice of intense importance. "I
do love 'ou, Effie," he said.

Effie kissed him, and softly left the room. She ran downstairs, and
began to help the servant to lay supper.

No one could look more bright than Effie as she performed the thousand
and one duties which fell to her lot in this poor home. Dr. Staunton was
poor, there were six children, Effie was the eldest da