came into the shop and took some
of her money, and she is very short of money and very worried. I will
tell you the news if you will forgive mother."

"Well," said Mrs. Church, "of all the impertinent, bare-faced, wicked
little girls, you beat them all. My answer to that, Susan Hopkins, is
no; and you can leave the house, for that is the last word you will
get."

"Thank you, Aunt Church," said Susy. "I will leave it. It doesn't matter
whether you hear the message I have come to give you or not. It is from
Miss Kathleen O'Hara, but that don't matter, either. What have you to do
with a young lady like Miss Kathleen O'Hara. She's as unsuitable to be
with you as she is to be with me. Good-bye, Aunt Church; good-bye."

Susy got as far as the door when Mrs. Church called her back.

"Come here, you bad little thing," she said. "Sit down on that chair.
Now, what do you mean?"

"I say I will give you my message if you will forgive mother."

"Then I won't. I will never hear your message."

"All right, I will go," said Susy. "I'll tell Miss Kathleen; she will be
disappointed, so to speak. It was about those almshouses, but--"

"Look here, child; you tell me first, and then I'll consider."

"No, no," said Susy. "I know something better than that. You make the
promise first, faithfully and truly, and then I will tell you."

After this there was a considerable wrangle between the old woman and
the young girl, but all in good time Susy won her desire, and Mrs.
Church made the required promise.

"Now speak," she said. "There's that kettle singing like mad, and it
will boil over in a minute. You shall have a cup of tea and a nice sweet
bun with it, and what more can a poor old body like myself offer? What
about Miss Kathleen O'Hara?"

"Aunt Church, you can help Miss Kathleen, and she is worthy of being
helped. She wants you to do something for her."

"Me?" said Mrs. Church. "And what can a poor body like me do to help
her? Things ought to be the other way round; it's she who ought to help
me."

"And so she will, and she said as much. She said she'd do what she could
to put you into one of those sweet little almshouses; and when Miss
Kathleen says a thing she means it. And there's an aunt of hers has come
over from Ireland--and from all accounts she must be a perfect
wonder--and she's coming, too. Oh, Aunt Church, you are in luck!"

"You are enough to distract any one, child. Susy, I told you the kettle
would boil befo