."

"You and your Pa'll go pretty hungry, I guess, if there's no one but
you to do the cooking," muttered Wealthy. "Well, what would you like
to learn?"

"Is bread easy to make? I'd like to learn that."

"You ain't hardly strong enough," said Wealthy, with a sigh, but she
set her bowl on a chair as she spoke, and proceeded to give Eyebright
a kneading lesson on the spot. It was much more fatiguing than
Eyebright had supposed it would be. Her back and arms ached for a long
time afterward, but Wealthy said she "got the hang of it wonderfully
for a beginner," and this praise encouraged her to try again. Every
Wednesday and Saturday, after that, she made the bread, from the
sifting of the flour to the final wrap of the hot loaf in a brown
towel, Wealthy only helping a very little, and each time the task
seemed to grow easier, so that, before they went away, Eyebright felt
that she had that lesson at her fingers' ends. Wealthy taught her
other things also,--to broil a beefsteak, and poach an egg, to make
gingerbread and minute biscuit, fry Indian pudding, and prepare and
flavor the "dip" for soft toast. All these lessons were good for her,
and in more senses than one. Many a heart-ache flew up the chimney and
forgot to come down again, as she leaned over her saucepans, stirring,
tasting, and seasoning. Many a hard thought about the girls and their
not caring as they ought about her going, slipped away, and came back
brightened into good-humor, in the excitement of watching the biscuits
rise, or moulding them into exact form and size. And how pleasant it
was if Wealthy praised her, or papa asked for a second helping of
something and said it was good.

Meanwhile, the business of breaking up was going on. Wealthy, whose
ideas were of the systematic old-fashioned kind, began at the very top
of the house and came slowly down, clearing the rooms out in regular
order, scrubbing, sweeping, and leaving bare, chill cleanness behind
her. Part of the furniture was packed to go to the Island, but by far
the greater part was brought down to the lower floor, and stacked in
the best parlor, ready for an auction, which was to take place on the
last day but one. It was truly wonderful how many things the house
seemed to contain, and what queer articles made their appearance out
of obscure holes and corners, in the course of Wealthy's rummagings.
There were old fire-irons, old crockery, bundles of herbs, dried so
long ago that all taste a