th this little
job. She worked carefully and nicely, and had proved herself capable,
but to-day her fingers seemed all thumbs. She set the cups away
without drying the bottoms, so that they made wet rings on the
shelves; she only half rinsed the teapot, left a bit of soap in its
spout, and ended by breaking a saucer. Wealthy scolded her, she
retorted, and then Wealthy made the speech, which I have quoted, about
the black dog.

Very slowly and unwillingly Eyebright sat down to darn her frock. It
was a long, jagged rent, requiring patience and careful slowness, and
neither good-will nor patience had Eyebright to bring to the task. Her
fingers twitched, she "pshawed," and "oh deared," ran the needle in
and out and in irregularly, jerked the thread, and finally gave a
fretful pull when she came to the end of the first needleful, which
tore a fresh hole in the stuff and puckered all she had darned, so
that it was not fit to be seen. Wealthy looked in just then, and was
scandalized at the condition of the work.

"You can just pick it out from the beginning," she said. "It's a
burning shame that a great girl like you shouldn't know how to do
better. But it's temper--that's what it is. Nothing in the world but
temper, Eyebright. You've been as cross as two sticks all day, Massy
knows for what, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself," whereon she
gave Eyebright a little shake.

The shake was like a match applied to gunpowder. Eyebright flamed into
open revolt.

"Wealthy Ann Judson!" she cried, angrily. "Let me alone. It's all your
fault if I am cross, you treat me so. I won't pick it out. I won't
darn it at all. And I shall just tell my father that you shook me; see
if I don't."

Wealthy's reply was a sound box on the ear. Eyebright's naughtiness
certainly deserved punishment, but it was hardly wise or right of
Wealthy to administer it, or to do it thus. She was far too angry to
think of that, however.

"That's what you want," said Wealthy, "and you'd be a better girl if
you got it oftener." Then she marched out of the room, leaving
Eyebright in a fury.

"I won't bear it! I won't bear it!" she exclaimed, bursting into
tears. "Everybody is cruel, cruel! I'll run away! I'll not stay in
this house another minute--not another minute," and, catching up her
sun-bonnet, she darted through the hall and was out of the gate and
down the street in a flash. Wealthy was in the kitchen, her father was
out, no one saw her go. Rosy