them has a
will of his own."

"Oh!" said Miss Essie. "What has become of their wills? Have you stolen
them? Now I am going to put that to the proof. Sam Stoutenburgh--you
are not twenty years old yet, your mother says; have you a will of your
own?"

"Mother says I have," replied Sam.

"Ah!--you see!" said Miss Essie. "_You_ sir,--I know you but I don't
remember you,--your teacher says you haven't a will of your own--now is
it true? I want to know."

"A will of my own, ma'am?" Reuben repeated, looking doubtfully from
Miss Essie to Mr. Linden. "Against whose, if you please?"

"Well--" said Miss Essie, a little surprised, and laughing--"upon
honour, will you tell the truth?"

"I'll try, ma'am."

"Against Mr. Linden's. Now upon honour!--I'll go bail for you."

The bail was not needed. Reuben's quiet "No, ma'am, and don't want to
have," was very forcible.

"I declare!" said Miss Essie turning to Mr. Linden,--"you're a
wonderful man!--For of course Sam's word is _his mother's_ word, and
that's nothing in the circumstances. I wish I had been so happy as to
be a boy and go to school to you, Mr. Linden! All my life my trouble
has been a will of my own; and I never found anybody that could deprive
me of it."

"Nor yourself ready to give it up?"

"Of course! but I never could, you know. It was stronger than I."

"I'll tell you what," said Mrs. Stoutenburgh, coming up, "if you two
people want to talk any more, you've got to stand out of the
way,--Faith and I are going to have a game with these boys."

"What sort of game?"

"Why blind man's buff," said Mrs. Stoutenburgh. "Sam--go to my room and
fetch that plaid ribband that lies on the bed."

"Now I'll tell you," said Miss Essie, "you must play this game as they
do it up at Suckiaug. Any game wants a stake, you know, Mr.
Stoutenburgh, to make it thoroughly interesting. You must play it this
way. Everybody that is caught and _found_, must answer any question the
person catching chooses to ask. And if he refuses to answer, he must
answer some other question and give a reason for it. That'll make 'em
fly round!"

In the midst of a little general bustle that ensued, Faith was startled
at finding that her rose and myrtle were gone. The next instant a hand
presented them unceremoniously under her face, and an abrupt voice
announced, "Here's your flowers!" It was even Phil Davids who had done
it. Faith seized her flowers, and then sprang after Phil and thanked
him v