God gave
beautiful voices to people to sing with."

"But if I asked mother she wouldn't let me go. And--I couldn't run away.
You see that would be just for once. Perhaps then I wouldn't be let to
come over here, afterward," the boy replied sadly.

"Couldn't you coax?" asked Hanny.

"I could just ask, and she'd say no."

Hanny felt so sorry for him. He was very fair and had pretty, but rather
timid eyes.

"You can't raise an insurrection when you know for certain it'll be put
down the next moment," the boy added.

"Well," Josie drew a long breath and studied.

"I'd ask my father," said Hanny.

"And he'd say, 'Ask your mother; it's as she says.' Most everything _is_
as mother says."

"Then I'd put my arms around his neck and coax. I'd tell him I wanted to
be like other boys. They think it's queer----"

Hanny stopped, very red in the face.

"Oh, you needn't mind. I know they laugh at me and make fun of me. But
mother's so nice and clean, only I wish she'd dress up as your mothers
do, and take a walk sometimes and go to church. And she cooks such
splendid things and makes puddings and pies, and she lets me sit and
read when I'm done my lessons. I have all the Rollo books, and father
has Sir Walter Scott, that he's letting me read now. It's only that
mother thinks I'll get into bad things and meet bad boys and get my
clothes soiled. Oh, sometimes I'm so tired of being nice! Only you
wouldn't want me to come over here if I wasn't."

That was very true.

"But there are a great many nice boys. Ben's just lovely, only he is
growing up so fast," said the little girl, with a sigh. "And though Jim
teases, he is real good and jolly. He doesn't keep his hands clean, and
mother scolds him a little for that."

They could not decide about the insurrection. Presently it was time for
Charles to go home. He was always on the mark lest he should not be
allowed the indulgence next time. The poor boy had been moulded into the
straight line of duty.

The girls went out to swing. They could all three sit in at once. And
they often talked all at once.

"It's just awful mean!"

"If we only could do something!"

"Girls!" Josie put her foot so firmly on the ground it almost tipped
them out. "Girls, let _us_ see Mr. Reed and ask him."

They all looked at each other with large eyes.

"It couldn't be wrong," began Josie; "because I've asked _your_ father,
Hanny, to let you come up to our stoop."

"No, it couldn't be," said