ht not be true. At length, however, the story of the china
closet got out, causing Sally Martin to spend one whole day in
retailing the gossip from door to door. Many, too, suddenly remembered
certain suspicious things which they had seen in Mrs. Hamilton, who
was unanimously voted to be a bad woman, and who, of course, began to
be slighted.

The result of this was to increase the sourness of her disposition;
and life at the Homestead would have been one continuous scene of
turmoil had not Margaret wisely concluded to treat whatever her
stepmother did with silent contempt. Lenora, too, always seemed ready
to fill up all vacant niches, until even Mag acknowledged that the
mother would be unendurable without the daughter.

CHAPTER IX.

LENORA AND CARRIE.

Ever since the day on which Lenora had startled Carrie by informing
her of her danger, she had been carefully kept from the room, or
allowed only to enter it when Margaret was present. One afternoon,
however, early in February, Mag had occasion to go to the village.
Lenora, who saw her depart, hastily gathered up her work, and repaired
to Carrie's room, saying, as she entered it, "Now, Carrie, we'll have
a good time; Mag has gone to see old deaf Peggy, who asks a thousand
questions, and will keep her at least two hours, and I am going to
entertain you to the best of my ability."

Carrie's cheek flushed, for she felt some misgivings with regard to
the nature of Lenora's entertainment; but she knew there was no help
for it, so she tried to smile, and said, "I am willing you should
stay, Lenora, but you mustn't talk bad things to me, for I can't bear
it."

"Bad things!" repeated Lenora; "who ever heard me talk bad things!
What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Carrie, "that you must not talk about your mother as
you sometimes do. It is wicked."

"Why, you dear little thing," answered Lenora, "don't you know that
what would be wicked for you isn't wicked for me?"

"No, I do not know so," answered Carrie; "but I know I wouldn't talk
about my mother as you do about yours for anything."

"Bless your heart," said Lenora, "haven't you sense enough to see that
there is a great difference between Mrs. Hamilton first, and Mrs.
Hamilton second? Now, I'm not naturally bad, and if I had been the
daughter of Mrs. Hamilton first instead of Widow Carter's young one,
why, I should have been as good as you--no, not as good as _you_, for
you don't know enough to be bad--but