em behind a hedge, but I could not tell where to hide my purchase, and
I was so terribly afraid of breaking it. It was a relief to my mind the
next morning when it suddenly struck me that I need not take the saucer
too, the cup was enough, as the original saucer was there intact, and
the cup was much easier to carry by itself.

"When we got to the town my father let me down at my grandmother's
without coming in himself at all, and went off at once to his business.
The door was open, and I saw no one about. I made my way up to the
drawing-room as quickly and quietly as possible; to my great satisfaction
there was no one there. I stole across the room to the china cupboard,
drew forward a chair and climbed upon it, and, in mortal fear and
trembling, placed the cup on the saucer waiting for it. They seemed to
match exactly, but I could not wait to see any more--the sound of some
one coming along the ante-room reached my ears--I had only just time to
close the door of the cupboard, jump down and try to look as if nothing
were the matter, when my grandmother entered the room. She came up to me
with both her hands out-stretched in welcome, and a look on her face that
I did not understand. She kissed me fondly, exclaiming,

"'My own dear little Nelly. I thought you would come. I knew you would
not be happy till you had----.' But she stopped suddenly. I had drawn a
little back from her, and again I felt my face get red. Why would people
praise me when I did not deserve it? My grandmother, I supposed, thought
I had come again because I had felt conscious of having been not
particularly gracious the day before--whereas I knew my motive to have
been nothing of the kind.

"'Papa was coming again, and he said I might come. I have nothing to do
at home just now. It's holidays,' I said abruptly, my very honesty _now_
leading me into misrepresentations, as is constantly the case once one
has quitted the quite straight path of candour.

"My grandmother looked pained and disappointed, but said nothing. But
_never_ had she been kinder. It was past dinner time, but she ordered tea
for me an hour earlier than her usual time, and sent down word that the
cook was to bake some girdle-cakes, as she knew I was fond of them. And
what a nice tea we might have had but for the uncomfortable little voice
that kept whispering to me that I did not deserve all this kindness, that
I was deceiving my grandmother, which was far worse than breaking twenty