o you."

There was no declining this tempting invitation, and Betty was soon
making the acquaintance of Winifred's family, and being introduced
respectively to Lord Fauntleroy, Rose-Florence, Violet-May, Lily-Bell,
and Miss Mollie.

"You see, when my father and mother were away in California I used to be
alone a good deal," Winifred explained, "and so if it hadn't been for
the children I should have been rather lonely. I lived with Uncle Will
and Aunt Estelle then, and Aunt Estelle is a very busy lady and has to
go out a good deal. My mother hardly ever goes out without me, and I
don't have nearly so much time to devote to the children as I used, but
I shouldn't like to have them feel neglected, so sometimes I stay at
home on purpose to look after them a little."

"How old are you?" Betty inquired. To her this conversation seemed
extremely childish. She had never had much time in her busy little life
to care for dolls, Jack having claimed all her thought and attention.

"I shall be ten next July, so as it's April now, father says I'm nine
and three-quarters. Father's very fond of joking, and so is Uncle Will."

"You go to school, don't you?" Betty asked.

"Yes, I go to Miss Lothrop's. I was coming from school when I met you
to-day. Mother almost always takes me and comes for me herself, because
we have only Lizzie, and she has a great deal to do."

"We don't keep any girl at all now," said Betty, "and so I can't go to
school, because there would be nobody to take care of Jack. We did keep
a girl last year, but some of mother's pupils gave up, and she couldn't
get any new ones, so we had to let her go. Mother gives us our lessons
every afternoon when she comes home, and we study in the mornings by
ourselves."

"Is your mother a teacher?" Winifred inquired with interest.

"Yes, she gives music lessons, and she plays beautifully too. We have a
piano, because Jack loves music so, and mother plays to him almost
every evening."

"I guess cripples always like music," said Winifred reflectively. "Mr.
Bradford had a lovely music box; it played twelve tunes."

"Who is Mr. Bradford?"

"He was a crippled gentleman I used to know. He was very kind, and I
loved him very much. I used to read to him, and he liked it. He died
last winter."

"Some cripples are quite strong in other ways, you know," Betty hastened
to explain. Winifred's remark about dying had made her vaguely
uncomfortable. "Jack isn't nearly so delicate a