ou know,
and it takes me all the rest of the time to slide!"

The children were busy making wonderful things "all secret;" or they
would have been secret if Prudy hadn't told.

For one thing, she wondered very much what Susy could be doing with four
pins stuck in a spool. She watched the nimble fingers as they passed the
worsted thread over the pin-heads, making stitches as fast as Susy could
wink.

"It looks like a tiny snake all sticked through the hole in the spool,"
said Prudy, eager with curiosity. "If you ain't a-goin' to speak, I
don't know what I _shall_ do, Susy Parlin!"

When poor Susy could not pretend any longer not to hear, she answered
Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, "O, dear, I s'pose you'll tease and
tease till you find out. Won't you never say a word to anybody,
_never_?"

"Never in my world," replied the little one, with a solemn shake of her
head.

"Well, it's a lamp-mat for auntie. It's going to be blue, and red, and
all colors; and when it's done, mother'll sew it into a round, and put
fringe on: won't it be splendid? But remember, you promised not to
tell!"

Now, the very next time Prudy sat in her auntie's lap she whispered in
her ear,--

"You don't know what _we're_ making for you, _all secret_, out of
worsted, and _I_ shan't tell!"

"Mittens?" said aunt Madge, kissing Prudy's lips, which were pressed
together over her sweet little secret like a pair of sugar-tongs
clinching a lump of sugar.

"Mittens? No, indeed! Better'n that! There'll be fringe all over it;
it's in a round; it's to put something on,--to put the _lamp_ on!"

"Not a lamp-mat, of course?"

"Why, yes it is! O, there, now you've been and guessed all in a minute!
Susy's gone an' told! I didn't s'pose she'd tell. I wouldn't for nothin'
in my world!"

Was it strange that Susy felt vexed when she found that her nice little
surprise was all spoiled?

"Try to be patient," said Mrs. Parlin, gently. "Remember how young and
thoughtless your sister is. She never means any harm."

"O, but, mamma," replied Susy, "she _keeps_ me being patient all the
whole time, and it's hard work."

So Susy, in her vexation, said to Prudy, rather sternly, "You little
naughty thing, to go and tell when you promised not to! You're almost as
bad as Dotty. What makes you act so?"

"Why, Susy," said the child, looking up through her tears, "have I
_acted_? I didn't know I'd acted! If you loved me, you wouldn't look
that way to me. You wri