oom before
dinner," she said.

[Illustration: "No", said Belle, roughly"----]

"Yes, mamma," Lily replied, "all except washing our hands. They do get
so quickly dirty in this hot weather, if we romp about at all."

"Then I think you might practise a little, papa likes to see one of you
in the drawing-room when he comes in, and to-night Belle shall be with
me while I'm dressing."

"Very well, mamma dear," said Lily, running off as cheerfully as usual.
Being with their mother when she was dressing was a great treat, it
didn't happen every night, and the little girls took it in turns. This
evening I don't think Lily was at all sorry to be without her sister's
company, for the little black dog, or at least his shadow, was still on
Belle's shoulders.

Belle sat quietly in a corner of the room, her mother said very little
to her, not even when Collins, the maid, had gone.

"You must wash your hands, I think, before coming down to the
drawing-room," she said at last, as she poured some nice warm water into
a pretty little basin with rose-buds round the edge, which the children
admired very much.

"Thank you, mamma," said Belle, brightening up a little, "and may I use
your beautiful pink scented soap, please?"

"Certainly dear," said her mother, and Belle set to work to wash her
little brown hands, which, it must be confessed, were decidedly in need
of it.

Rather to her surprise, her mother stood beside her looking on.

"Are you watching to see if I wash them quite clean, mamma?" asked the
little girl.

[Illustration: "Are you watching to see if I wash them quite clean,
mamma?"]

"No, dear, I'm sure you will do that. I was wondering if it has ever
struck you how prettily and kindly your little hands behave to each
other. Right hand is the cleverest and quickest, of course, but left
hand is always willing and ready too. They take care not to hurt or
scratch each other, and if by chance one is ever hurt, the other is as
tender as possible not to rub or touch the sore place."

Belle went on washing her hands, or rather bathing them in the water,
for by this time they were quite clean. She looked at them as she did
so, but she did not speak.

"And another thing," said her mother, "take one out of the water, and
see how helpless the other is, even clever right hand can do very little
without her sister, and it is the same in all the work you do, one hand
would be very little use without the other."

Belle's fac