eature of twenty!"

"Oh, could you not introduce me to Miss Folly!" exclaimed Matty; "if she
could so beautify an ugly old lady, what would she do for a young girl
like me!"

"I will bring her here with the greatest pleasure," replied Pride; and
glancing at Matty's dress, he added, "From the elegant style of your
attire, I should have really imagined that you had long ago known Miss
Folly."

When Dick had almost finished his papering, and Matty was far advanced
with hers, the children received one day a visit from Mr. Learning, who
came to observe their progress. Nelly was so hard at work in her spare
room, that she did not hear his step, and was a little startled when she
felt a heavy hand laid on her shoulder.

"Don't be afraid," said Mr. Learning kindly, "go quietly on with your
work. 'Slow and sure' is your motto, I see; what you do is done neatly
and nicely."

Nelly looked up with a pleased smile. She had never expected to receive
a word of praise from the tall stately gentleman in black, who lived
upon paper and ink.

Mr. Learning then proceeded to Matty's cottage. Matty, who happened to
be twining flowers in her beautiful hair, started up, and, in a little
confusion, greeted her guardian with a courtesy.

He glanced round the cottage for awhile in silence. Matty thought that
he must be admiring the quickness with which she had papered her walls;
his first words disappointed her not a little.

"You have made a great mistake in not choosing a better and stronger
paper; labour is thrown away upon this. However quickly you may get over
your work, no one will ever think a dwelling well-furnished whose walls
are covered with nothing but fairies."

"Stupid, solemn, cross-grained old critic as he is!" thought Matty; "I
knew that he and I would never agree together. I paper my walls to
please my own taste, and snap my fingers at Learning!"

The grave guardian then stalked slowly across the little plot of ground
which divided the boys' cottages from those of the girls. Though Dick's
was just opposite to Matty's, Mr. Learning chose to cross over first to
Lubin's.

The boy, buried in a deep slumber, lay snoring upon the floor, quite
unconscious that any one had entered. With great disgust Mr. Learning
looked around on one of the most untidy rooms that his eyes had ever
beheld. It was only papered to such a height as the arm of the fat boy
could reach, and even the little that had been done had been finished in