pped her head for shame, but raised it again indignantly.

"How'd you know that, mamma? Auntie Prim must have gone and told."

"Yes, darling, I asked her to tell. Isn't it right for mamma to know all
her child has been doing?"

"Yes'm," replied Flaxie, watching a fly walk on the ceiling.

"And I thought perhaps you would like to talk with me about it, dear."

"One, two, three, four, five," said Flaxie to herself, counting the
rosebuds in the carpet. Strange her mamma should suppose she wanted to
talk about it! Why, there wasn't a subject in the world so disagreeable
as her own naughtiness!

Mrs. Gray waited patiently till the rosebuds were counted, and then
Flaxie spoke.

"O mamma, you think I was bad yesterday, but do you _s'pose_ I'd have
gone off if I'd known my little brother's tooth was a-cutting?"

Mrs. Gray smiled down at the innocent, upturned face.

"Well, darling, whether he cut a tooth or not, had you any excuse for
staying to tea?"

"No'm. They didn't have a bit good supper at Patty's house, and I
oughtn't to have stayed."

"Mary," said Mrs. Gray,--she thought her little daughter was old enough
now to be called by her true name, so she never used the baby name of
Flaxie Frizzle,--"Mary, I do not wish you to play any more with this
little girl till I have seen her."

"No'm."

"Have you anything else to tell me?"

"I don' know. Well, yes. Well, I--I--I am so sorry I ran away from my
party, mamma. Ever so long ago. I s'pect Auntie Prim told of that too?"
said Flaxie, twisting herself into odd shapes, for the thought of that
unfortunate affair filled her with shame.

"Yes, Mary, she did."

"Well, I felt so sorry, mamma. And Milly 'n' I, we didn't get but one
tart and one piece o' cake; for auntie had a party with 'em her own
self. Do you think 'twas right when she made 'em for Milly and me?"

Here Flaxie's eyes flashed.

"My child, we are talking of you now, not Auntie Prim."

"Yes'm, I know it, and I'm real sorry I'm so naughty; but Auntie Prim
_makes_ me naughty."

"Mary, Mary, you must not talk so about that good woman!"

"Oh, I know she's good, mamma. Why, she is the best woman in this town;
she's the best woman in the world! And she _knows_ she's good, and it
makes her just as proud!"

Now Mrs. Prim really was a person who _seemed_ to be proud of her
goodness, and Flaxie had described her very well; but Mrs. Gray said
again:

"Mary, we are talking of you now, not of Auntie Prim