nderson, when
the group of younger girls were well out of hearing of the house. "She
just got us there under false pretences, calling it fun and turning it
into a sort of church. We get prayers enough, in all conscience, on
Sundays."

"I'd rather have Miss Etta talk to us about the patriarchs and the
stories and all that," said Matilda Eckart, who was a good scholar, or
would have been if she had not, by the necessities of her family, been
forced to work in the mill. "I like to learn things; still I like Miss
Eunice, too. She's real sweet, and maybe we ought to do as she says."

"Nonsense!" said another girl, Helen Felting by name, "Miss Etta isn't a
Christian, and she's her own sister and three or four years older than
we are. I don't want to be any better than she is. My, ain't her dress
lovely, all silk and velvet, and such an exquisite shade! fits so, too,
just as if it was her skin!"

"Did you see her ear-rings?" said another. "Real diamonds, all set
round with pearls, and _such_ a chain and locket!"

"I don't care," said Bertie; meaning, of course, that she did care very
much. "We girls haven't got so much money and we can't have real things.
I like my chain and locket just as well (which she didn't, for she was
quite keen enough to understand the difference), but I won't go there
again till I get my silk dress made;" and she glanced disgustedly at the
light-blue cashmere which, as it was her best dress, she chose to wear
on all occasions, and which looked already much the worse for its week
in the rag-room at the mill.

Katie Robertson did not speak at all, except to answer the questions of
Eric, who had come for her, as to whether she had had a pleasant time
decidedly in the affirmative. She was thinking very deeply. We have seen
that our Katie was a faithful, conscientious little girl, loving God
sincerely, trusting in her Saviour, and striving to please him and grow
like him. She loved to study the Bible, which she knew was his word, and
to pray to him in her own simple language every night and morning; nay,
often at other times when she felt the need of his help, or had
something she wanted to tell him about. She had not asked herself any
hard questions yet about whether she were a Christian or not. She knew
she was her mother's Katie because she loved her mother and wanted to
please her, and she knew she was God's child because she loved him and
wanted to please him. She often did things, and said thing