some
plan.

However, when they reached home she was afraid that May might be
disappointed, not only of her ribbon, but of her flowers and garland as
well, for she found Mrs. Stevens, the Squire's wife, had called and
asked Mrs. Risdon to send Alice to the Lodge to help with some weeding.

'Oh, Mother, need I go? I must get the flowers for the maying,' Alice
said.

'Nonsense, my dear; I cannot disoblige Mrs. Stevens when she is always
so kind to us.'

So Alice had to go to the Park Lodge, leaving May in tears, because she
knew she could not get nearly as many flowers without her sister to help
her.

'Never mind, dear! Pick some primroses and ferns, and I will get up
early to-morrow to gather may-blossom and make the garland,' Alice
promised, as she kissed her good-bye.

It was growing dark when the weeding was finished, but Mrs. Stevens was
very much pleased with the neat look of the borders.

'You have been a good, industrious girl,' she said to Alice. 'Now you
must come in and have some cake and milk, and I have a few little scraps
of finery your mother may like for her patchwork.'

She brought a bundle of pieces of bright-coloured silk, and among them
Alice saw, with delight, a length of lovely green ribbon.

Her eyes shone with excitement as she thanked Mrs. Stevens.

'Do you think, ma'am, we might use that beautiful ribbon for our
garland? It would still do for Mother's patchwork if we ironed it
afterwards.'

Then Mrs. Stevens had to hear all the story of May's wish and her
sister's fears for her disappointment. She gave Alice leave to go
through their orchard on her way home, and to pick as many of the wild
jonquils--'White Sundays,' the children called them--as she liked. So
Alice was a happy girl, and, although she saw by the tears on little
May's cheeks that the child had cried herself to sleep, she knew how
glad her waking would be.

Alice was awake at daylight to weave the garland and arrange the bunch
of flowers on the pole. When all her preparations were finished, she
roused May and told her that it was May Day and she had a delightful
surprise for her. She brushed the little girl's golden hair till it
shone, and put on her best white frock, and then, looking from the
window, saw some other children coming to meet them.

'Run off, dear,' she said; 'I will follow with your garland.'

She just had time to slip on a clean pinafore, and then hurried after
her down the hill.

'Oh, how lovely!