on coming home they found the whole house tidied, dinner laid,
the pie made and just ready to come out of the Dutch oven, and the
accounts balanced and written out fairly. Grace was just finishing the
arraying herself in full Sunday trim outside, but how was it with the
inner Sunday raiment of her heart?

She did nothing but talk about "seam and gusset and band," and how fast
she was getting on, and how good the linen was, and what sort was the
best, till Jessie thought she might almost as well have been sewing all
day as with her thoughts running on nothing else.

When Jessie went to afternoon school, both Mrs. Hollis and Grace were so
tired that the one went to sleep in her chair, and the other on her bed;
and thus Jessie found them on her return.

Poor mother! how weary and worn her face looked after this week of
worry. The sight of it settled Jessie's mind. She went up softly to take
off her things, and as she was doing so, Grace awoke. Jessie went up to
her and showed her Miss Needwood's cipher.

"Bless me! whose is that? It is real genteel," said Grace.

"It is Miss Needwood's at Chalk-pit Farm."

"What! that poor helpless thing that never can keep a situation! Did you
get it for a pattern, Jessie?"

"Yes," said Jessie; "she lent it to me."

"It is beautiful," said Grace, examining it minutely. "You ought to work
like that, Jessie."

"I would if I could," said Jessie, "and I mean to try; but, Grace, I
shall only finish this first dozen. I shall send the other five dozen to
Bessie Needwood. She is in great want of work, and will do them much
better than I."

"Well I never!" cried Grace. "I never thought you'd turn lazy, and give
up what you had undertaken--when I had asked for the handkerchiefs on
purpose for you, because I thought a little pocket money would come in
convenient!"

"So it would. It was very kind of you, Grace; but Miss Needwood will do
them better than I."

"Not than you if you chose to take the pains and trouble."

"No," said Jessie, "if I don't hurry them too quick to try to do those
finest stitches, I sha'n't have time to do them at all, in these after
hours of mine."

"Well, that you should choose to confess yourself not able to do as well
as a poor dozing thing like that! It's all laziness."

"No, that it is not," said Jessie, rather hotly. "I thought if those
were off my hands I could help you, and then mother need not have any of
this work to do, or be so driven and put ab