red, and
turned away. She was not the least like Lily, her hair was dark and cut
short round her head, for she had had a bad illness not long ago.

The stranger lady had quick eyes.

"And Belle?" she said, kindly. "You can't have two right hands of
course. But I've no doubt she is a helpful little woman too, in her
way."

"Oh, yes!" said her mother, "she is. And she is getting on well with her
lessons again, in spite of having been so put back last year."

"And," said the old lady--who had noticed the rather sullen look on
Belle's little brown face--"I hope the two sisters love each other
dearly, besides being a pair of extra hands to their mother."

Lily smiled back in reply.

"Yes," she said, "I am sure we do."

[Illustration: They were a pleasant-looking little party]

Soon after, their mother sent them all upstairs again. Nurse had come
down to fetch Baby, and the two boys trotted off together. Lily took
Belle's hand as they got to the foot of the stairs.

"Isn't she a nice lady?" she said, for Lily was feeling very pleased
just then with herself and everybody else--I must say she was very
seldom a cross little girl, but she was perhaps rather too inclined to
be pleased with herself--"and didn't you like," she went on, "what mamma
said of us two, to her?"

"No," said Belle, roughly, pulling herself away from her sister. "I
don't want to be counted a clumsy, stupid, left hand. I don't wonder
you're pleased, you always get praised."

"Oh, Belle!" said Lily. "I really don't think you need be so cross about
it. You know you're younger than I."

But Belle would not answer, and all the rest of the afternoon she
remained very silent and gloomy, looking, to tell the truth, as if that
strange invisible little "black dog," that we have all heard of, I
think, had seated himself comfortably upon her shoulders, with no
intention of getting off again in a hurry.

It was a fine summer's day, almost too hot indeed, so the children had
tea early and went out a walk afterwards, returning in time to spend
half-an-hour with their mother, before she went to dress for dinner.

This half-hour was generally a very happy time for all the children. But
to-day one little face was less bright than usual, and mamma's eyes were
not slow to notice it, though she said nothing.

When the three little ones had gone off to bed, their mother glanced at
the two elder girls.

"You are quite ready, I see, for coming into the drawing-r