Candy gave
permission.

"Won't you come too, Maria?" she asked, when they went to their own
room.

"There's no fun in walking," Maria answered, disconsolately.

"I am going to Lilac Lane."

"I hope you don't think there is any fun in _that_."

"But, Maria!----"

"Well, what?"

"I think there is something a great deal better than fun."

"You may have it all then, for me."

"Maria," said her little sister, gently, "I wish you wouldn't mind.
Mamma will get well by and by, and this will be all over; and we are
getting along so nicely. Aunt Candy was quite pleased with the dinner."

"There's another dinner to get to-morrow," said Maria; "and I don't
know what you mean by this being 'all over' when mamma gets well. What
difference will her getting well make? She will help, to be sure; but
we should have the same things to do--just the same."

Matilda had not reckoned on that, for she looked sober a minute or two.

"Well, Maria," she said then, clearing up, "I don't care. If Jesus has
given us this to do, you know, I _like_ to do it; because He has given
it to us to do."

Maria turned away impatiently.

"Maria," said her little sister, drawing nearer and speaking solemnly,
"do you intend to ask Mr. Richmond to baptize you the next time he has
the baptismal service?"

"If I do," said Maria, "_you_ need not trouble yourself about it."

And Matilda thought she had better let the subject and her sister both
alone for the present. She had got herself ready, and now taking her
Bible she went out. It was but a little way to the corner. There she
turned in the opposite direction from the one which would have taken
her to church, and crossed the main street. In that direction, farther
on, lay the way to Lilac Lane; but at the other corner of the street
Matilda found an interruption. Somebody stopped her, whom she knew the
next instant to be Norton Laval.

"Why, it is Matilda Englefield!" he said. "You are just the one I want
to see."

"Am I?" said Matilda.

"I should think so. Come along; our house lies that way; don't you
recollect?"

"Oh, but I am not going that way now," said Matilda.

"Oh yes, but you are! Mamma says contradicting is very rude, but I
can't help it sometimes. Can you help it, Matilda?"

"People ought to be contradicted sometimes," Matilda said, with an arch
bridling of her head, which, to be sure, the child was quite
unconscious of.

"Not I," said Norton. "Come!"

"Oh, but I cannot