you must go making a smart lady of yourself, and getting notions that
will fit you neither to do one thing nor another? Was it seeing that
young macaroni of a boy start off in all his glory to cram his head with
book stuff that set you up to wanting the same thing yourself? Get the
notion out again, then, quick! Not a word more of this nonsense about
Mistress Kent and her teachings. If you disobey, off you go to the Town
House, and there stay until you are eighteen."

Oh, dreadful! Sally said not another word; she only moped about as if
heart-broken. She did not go over to Ingleside after supper, but went
across to the pines, and throwing herself face downward on the moss, as
she had done once before when her ignorance first appeared before her,
she cried and cried until again she fell asleep.

CHAPTER IX.

THE PARSON

Sally had slept but a little while when something hit her arm, which was
stretched out, and lifting her head, she heard a startled cry.

"Lorr de massy, chile! You nearly scare de bref outen my body!" and
there was Mammy Leezer, whose staff had touched her arm before the old
woman saw her from the side of a tree.

It took but a look or two to see Sally's swollen eyes and flushed
cheeks.

"Now what a-matter, honey?" asked the soothing old voice. "I come over
here in de woods fo' some big burdock leaves I knew was here, and I
soaks dem in winegar fo' to quiet de mis'ry in my bones. But what grieve
you? Tell ole Mammy all 'bout it."

Sally shivered with a sob that came before she could keep it back, then
she simply said that she had wanted to study, and some one was willing
to teach her, but that Mistress Brace would not allow it.

Mammy put on the cunning look that meant a good deal.

"Oh, now doan't go bursting yo' poor lil heart over dat," she crooned,
"p'raps yous'll be gettin' de schoolin' after all."

"You don't know Mistress Brace," said Sally, with a sad little smile.

"No, I doan't berry much," said Mammy, in a voice that swelled, "but I
might be gettin' to knowin' her better one o' dese days." And she
hobbled away, a broad grin on her round face.

When beyond Shady Path, Mammy was delighted to see Mistress Brace
striding along, a market basket on her arm.

Now Mammy knew not the first thing about the money that Sally's father
had left for his little girl. But she did know that he had boarded in a
nice house at Jamestown Corners when Mistress Brace lived there, that
he had