rry. Pick
it all neatly out."

Matilda went at it impatiently; tugged at the thread; pulled the heel
of her stocking into a very intricate drawn-up state; then had to
smooth it out again with difficulty.

"This is very hard to come out," she said.

"Yes, it is bad picking," said her aunt, composedly.

Matilda was very impatient and very weary besides. However, work did
it, in time.

"Now see if you can do it better," said Mrs. Candy.

"_Now_, Aunt Erminia?"

"Certainly. It is your own fault that you have made such a business of
it. You should have done as I told you."

"But I am _very_ tired."

"I dare say you are."

Matilda was very much in the mind to cry; but that would not have
mended matters, and would have hurt her pride besides. She went
earnestly to work with her darning needle instead. She could use it
nicely, she found, with giving pains and time enough. But it took a
great while to do a little. Up one side and down the other; then up
that side and down the first; threading long double needlefuls, and
having them used up with great rapidity; Matilda seemed to grow into a
darning machine. She was very still; only a deep-drawn long breath now
and then heaved her little breast. Impatience faded, however, and a
sort of dulness crept over her. At last she became very tired, so tired
that pride gave way, and she said so.

Mrs. Candy remarked that she was sorry.

"Aunt Candy, I think Maria may want me by this time."

"Yes. _That_ is of no consequence."

"Maria has got no one to help her."

"She will not hurt herself," Clarissa observed.

"Aunt Erminia, wouldn't you just as lieve I should finish this by and
by?"

"I will think of that," said her aunt. "All you have to do, is to work
on."

"I am very tired of it!"

"That is not a reason for stopping, my dear. Rather the contrary. One
must learn to do things after one is tired. That is a lesson I learned
a great while ago."

"I cannot work so well or so fast, when I am tired," said Matilda.

"And I cannot work at all while you are talking to me."

Matilda's slow fingers drew the needle in and out for some time longer.
Then to her great joy, the dinner bell rang.

"What does Maria mean?" said Mrs. Candy, looking at her watch. "It
wants an hour of dinner-time. Run and see what it is, Matilda."

Matilda ran down-stairs.

"Do you think I have five pairs of hands?" inquired Maria, indignantly.
"It is nice for you to be playing up-stairs, an