n
they appeared the next week at the appointed time. Norah's toes were out
of her shoes. Her tangled curls were as rough as a bird's-nest, and the
hat on top of them looked as if it had sailed across every mud-puddle in
town. Little Kathleen's scanty garments were rather rags than clothes.
And Gretchen, tidiest of all, had smears of sausage on her rosy face,
and did not seem to have been brought into contact with soap and water
for weeks.

Mary led them up into her own room, which, plain as it was, looked like
a palace to the little ones after the dirt and discomfort of their
crowded homes. There were the nice clean towels, the new hair-brush, and
the big cake of honey-soap, mother's contributions to the undertaking.
The washing was quite a frolic. Norah cried a little at having her hair
pulled, but Mary was gentle and pleasant, and made the affair so amusing
that the children thought it pleasant to be clean, instead of disliking
it. She rewarded their patience by a kiss all round. Kathleen threw her
arms about Mary's neck and gave her a great hug. "You're iver so nice,"
she said, and Mary kissed her again.

So every Saturday from that time forward, Mary went to school followed
by a crowd of clean little faces, which looked all the brighter and
happier for their cleanliness. She was proud of her class, but their
ragged clothes distressed her greatly.

"It is such a pity," she told her mother. "They are so pretty, and they
look like beggars."

Mrs. Forcythe had only been waiting for this. She was not a woman to
give much advice, even to her own child. "Drop in a seed and let it
grow," was her motto.

"There's that old gingham of yours," she suggested. "You could spare
that for one of them, if there were anybody to make it over."

"_I'll_ make it!" cried Mary, "only--" her, face falling, "I don't know
how to cut dresses."

"I'll cut it for you if you like," said Mrs. Forcythe quietly.

"Will you, mother dear? How splendid. I'll make it for Norah. She's the
raggedest of all."

The gingham was measured, and proved enough to make frocks for Norah
and Kathleen too. Mary had double work to undertake, but her heart was
in her fingers, and they flew fast. It took every spare moment for a
fortnight to make the frocks, but when they were done and tried on to
the delighted children, they looked so nicely that Mary was rewarded for
her trouble and for the many needle-pricks in her forefinger.

"Only it's such a pity abo