nswer. Now let us get to work or Aunt Elizabeth will be down
on us for talking in study hour."

Edna turned her attention to her books and in a moment was not thinking
of anything but her geography.

She could scarcely wait till the next day, however, when she and
Dorothy should learn what Agnes had planned, but alas, she was not
allowed this pleasure for Aunt Elizabeth called her from the school-room
just at recess and took her down to see Miss Martin, the daughter of the
rector of the church. Of course Edna was very glad to see Miss Martin,
for she was very fond of her, but she did wish she had chosen some other
day to call, and not only was Edna required to remain down in the parlor
during the whole of recess but she was again summoned before she had a
chance to speak a word to anyone at the close of school. This time it
was to run an errand to the shop where an order had been forgotten and
Edna was despatched to bring home the required article, Ellen being too
busy to be spared.

She felt rather out of sorts at having both of her opportunities taken
from her. "I don't see why they couldn't have sent sister," she said to
herself, "or why they couldn't do without rice for just this once. I
should think something else would be better, anyway, for dessert than
rice and sugar." But there was no arranging Aunt Elizabeth's affairs for
her and when the dish of rice appeared Edna was obliged to eat it in
place of any other dessert. Her ill humor passed away, however, when
Uncle Justus looked at her from under his shaggy brows and asked her if
she didn't want to go to Captain Doane's with him. This was a place
which always delighted her, for Captain Doane had been all over the
world and had brought back with him all sorts of curiosities. Moreover,
there was always a supply of preserved ginger taken from a queer jar
with twisted handles, and there was also an especially toothsome cake
which the captain's housekeeper served, so Edna felt that the feast in
store for her, quite made up for the poverty of a dessert of boiled
rice and sugar.

She wondered that Celia was not also asked to go, but she remembered
that Celia did not know Captain Doane, and that probably she would think
it very stupid to play with shells and other queer things while two old
gentlemen talked on politics or some such dry subject. Therefore she
went off very happily, rather glad that after all there was a pleasure
for this day and one in prospect for t