companied, and also pleasing
her father--shook Daisy's very soul. What should she do? She had not
made up her mind when she got to the little brown house where Mrs.
Harbonner lived.

She found mother and daughter both in the little bare room; the child
sitting on the floor and cutting pieces of calico and cloth into strips,
which her mother was sewing together with coarse thread. Both looked
just as when Daisy had seen them before--slim, and poor and uncombed;
but the room was clean.

"I thought you warn't coming again," said Mrs. Harbonner.

"I couldn't come till to-day," said Daisy, taking a chair. "I came as
soon as I could." Partly from policy, partly because she felt very
sober, she left it to Mrs. Harbonner to do most of the talking.

"I never see more'n a few folks that thought much of doing what they
said they'd do--without they found their own account in it. If I was
living in a great house, now, I'd have folks enough come to see me."

Daisy did not know what answer to make to this, so she made none.

"I used to live in a better house once," went on Mrs. Harbonner; "I
didn't always use to eat over a bare floor. I was well enough, if I
could ha' let well alone; but I made a mistake, and paid for it; and
what's more, I'm paying for it yet. 'Taint _my_ fault, that Hephzibah
sits there cuttin' rags, instead of going to school."

Again Daisy did not feel herself called upon to decide on the mistakes
of Mrs. Harbonner's past life; and she sat patiently waiting for
something else that she could understand.

"What are you come to see me for now?" said the lady. "I suppose you're
going to tell me you haven't got no work for me to do, and I must owe
you for that ham?"

"I have got something for you to do," said Daisy. "The boy has got it at
the gate. The housekeeper found some clothes to make--and you said that
was your work."

"Tailoring," said Mrs. Harbonner. "I don't know nothing about women's
fixtures,--except what'll keep me and Hephzibah above the savages. I
don't suppose I could dress a doll so's it would sell."

"This is tailoring work," said Daisy. "It is a boy's suit--and there
will be more to do if you like to have it."

"Where is it? at the gate, did you say? Hephzibah, go and fetch it in.
Who's got it?"

"The boy who is taking care of the horses."

"I declare, have you got that little covered shay there again?--it's
complete! I never see a thing so pretty! And Hephzibah says you drive
that