y prayers if you had never learned any?"

Miss Rose smiled sadly.

"Well, then," she said, "we will learn the Lord's Prayer, and then
you will know the most beautiful prayer of all."

They knelt down together, and Clematis said over the words after
Miss Rose.

"Now good night, dear, and pleasant dreams," said Miss Rose, as she
tucked her in.

"Good night," said Clematis.

The door closed, and all was dark.

The maple trees swayed gently outside the window.

They nodded to Clematis, as she watched them with sleepy eyes.

One little star peeped in at her through the maple tree.

CHAPTER IV

WHO IS CLEMATIS?

The bright sun was shining on the red buds of the maple tree when
Clematis woke the next morning.

It was early. The rising bell had not rung. Clematis got up and
looked out of the open window.

She could see nothing but houses across the street, but the buds of
the maple were beautiful in the sun.

"I wish I had some of those buds to put in my room," said Clematis
to herself.

She took her clothes, and began to dress. While she was dressing,
she looked again at the maple buds, and wanted them more than ever.

"If I reached out a little way, I could get some of those, I just
know I could," she thought.

As soon as she got her shoes on she pushed the window wide open.

She leaned out. Some beautiful buds were very near, but she could
not quite reach them.

She leaned out a little farther. Then she climbed upon the window
sill.

They were still out of her reach.

For a minute she stopped. Then she put one foot out in the gutter.
With one hand she held the blind, and reached out to the nearest
branch.

At last she had it. She drew it nearer, and broke off a piece with
many buds.

As the piece broke off, the branch flew back again to its place, and
Clematis almost fell back through the window to the floor.

She patted the red buds and made a little bunch of them. She filled
her cup with water and put the buds in it; then she put it on the
bureau.

Clematis was looking proudly at them, when the door opened, and Miss
Rose came in.

She looked at Clematis, and then at the buds.

"Why, Clematis!" she said.

Then she looked out the window. There, several feet beyond the
window, was the broken end. Drops of sap were running from the white
wood.

"How did you get those buds?" asked Miss Rose.

"I reached out of the window," said Clematis, "why, was that
stealing?"

Miss Ros