ndow for sale. Their father having a small
garden, in which were a few fruit trees, served as an excuse for all the
fruit they had to sell, and thus they contrived to deceive their father
and rob their master.

The strict watch kept by Mr. Joseph, and some of the honest people in
the garden, prevented any fruit being taken for some time, but the plum
season coming on, and the plums on a tree not being so easily counted,
nor so soon missed, as peaches, the children again ventured to take a
few, and their father having two fine trees of the kind in his garden,
if once the plums could be got home there was no likelihood of their
being detected.

I did not watch the children, nor wish to know anything of what they did
in the garden, yet somehow it seemed as if I was always to find them out
in their thefts, for I one day suddenly came upon them just as they were
cramming about a dozen fine Orlean plums into their pockets. I covered
my face with my hands, and said:

'Oh, why will you do so? We shall all be discharged.'

'_You_ shall be discharged,' said Susan, darting at me and slapping me
with all her strength. 'What business have you to watch us? This is the
first bit of fruit we have taken since those nasty peaches, and now, I
suppose, you will go and tell.'

'No, I shall not,' replied I; 'but I wish you would not take any more
fruit. You know what Mr. Freeman said.'

'Yes, and you shall know what my mother will say. I am not to be
followed about and watched, and lose my place, for a tell-tale
beggar-girl.'

I again assured her that I should not tell, and went away to a distant
part of the garden, my mind being very unhappy, for I thought that if
these thefts were discovered we should all be discharged, and again I
thought that perhaps I was doing very wrong in concealing them, but then
how could I bring people who were so kind to me into disgrace, and even
into want of bread? I did not know what to do, but, after much
considering in my own mind, I determined that when Saturday night came
to ask Mr. Joseph to give me only five shillings, and not to ask me any
questions, for I thought that the odd shilling would partly pay for the
fruit Mr. Davis's children took. Having made this determination I felt
rather happier, though I dreaded the resentment of Mrs. Davis and the
children. When night came we went home together, the children not
speaking to me once the whole way. When we arrived at the house Mr.
Davis was out,