ere the same hour next
Sunday.

As the shaggy little red head moved away through the bushes, Daisy
watched it, wondering whether she had done the least bit of good. Then
another thought made her heart beat, and she turned again to see how low
the sun was. Instead of the sun she saw Gary McFarlane.

"Who is that, Daisy?" said he, looking after the disappearing red head.

"A poor little girl--" said Daisy.

"So I should think,--very poor!--looks so indeed! How came she here?"

"She came by my orders, Mr. McFarlane."

"By your orders! What have you got there, Daisy? Let's see! As sure as
I'm alive!--a spelling book. Keeping school, Daisy? Don't say no!"

Daisy did not say no, nor anything. She had taken care not to let Gary
get hold of her Bible; the rest she must manage as she could.

"This _is_ benevolence!" went on the young man. "Teaching a spelling
lesson in a Belvidere with the thermometer at 90 deg. in the shade? What
sinners all the rest of us are! I declare, Daisy, you make me feel bad."

"I should not think it, Mr. McFarlane."

"Daisy, you have _a plomb_ enough for a princess, and gravity enough for
a Puritan! I should like to see you when you are grown up,--only then I
shall be an old man, and it will be of no consequence. What _do_ you
expect to do with that little red head?--now do tell me."

"She don't know anything, Mr. McFarlane."

"No more don't I! Come Daisy--have pity on me. You never saw anybody
more ignorant than I am. There are half a dozen things at this moment
which I don't know--and which you can tell me. Come, will you?"

"I must go in, Mr. McFarlane."

"But tell me first. Come, Daisy! I want to know why _is_ it so much
more wicked to sing a song than to make somebody else singsong?--for
that's the way they all do the spelling book, _I_ know. Hey, Daisy?"

"How did you know anything about it, Mr. McFarlane?"

"Come, Daisy,--explain. I am all in a fog--or else you are. This
spelling book seems to me a very wicked thing on Sunday."

"I will take it, if you please, Mr. McFarlane."

"Not if I know it! I want my ignorance instructed, Daisy. I am persuaded
you are the best person to enlighten me--but if not, I shall try this
spelling book on Mrs. Randolph. I regard it as a great curiosity, and an
important question in metaphysics."

Poor Daisy! She did not know what to do; conscious that Gary was
laughing at her all the while, and most unwilling that the story of the
spelling book