that her faults should be
punished. It seemed to Aunt Deborah that after this she and her little
niece would have no more misunderstandings. She thought it a fine thing
that Ruth wished to stay by herself all that sunny spring day; and she
was sure it was no light punishment.

CHAPTER VI

A DIFFICULT DAY

Aunt Deborah did not linger to talk with her little niece, for it was a
part of her belief that idle talk was unwise. The door had hardly closed
behind her when Winifred's head appeared from under the chintz valance
of the bed, and she looked cautiously about.

"Has she gone?" she asked in a cautious whisper.

Ruth nodded, and Winifred now crawled out from her hiding-place.

"I'm glad she didn't see me, Ruth. For when I came to the door this
morning she said you could not see any one to-day; so I thought you were
being punished, and I was bound to see you. Oh, Ruth! are you to have
nothing but porridge?" and Winifred looked at Ruth's tray as if she
thought such a dinner would be punishment enough for a much greater
offense.

"I chose it! I said I would eat only porridge," responded Ruth,
beginning to think that perhaps she had been more severe with herself
than had been really necessary; and she wondered, with a little
regretful sigh, if Aunt Deborah was having stewed oysters for dinner;
for Ruth was sure that nothing could taste better than oysters.

"I had to see you, Ruth; and it was Gilbert who thought of the ladder.
He has written a play, and you are to take part in it, and so am I,"
continued Winifred, who had nearly forgotten her own important news in
listening to Ruth's surprising story.

"'A play'?" echoed Ruth questioningly, hardly understanding her friend's
meaning.

"Yes! Yes! Don't you know that the English soldiers give plays in the
Southward Theater? They dress up and make believe, just as you did last
night," Winifred explained, "and Gilbert's play is like that."

"Then I don't want to," Ruth declared. "It's horrid pretending to be
somebody besides yourself."

"Oh, Ruth! This isn't like what you did. It's all about Washington and
Lafayette," Winifred explained eagerly, "and our pony is to be in it,
and so is Hero. It's splendid; truly it is, Ruth; and Gilbert wants you
to come and rehearse this afternoon, in our stable. If you are punishing
yourself you can come if you wish to."

Ruth shook her head.

"No, I can't. Don't you see I can't, Winifred? I promised just as much
as if