t, and for the rest of the way she
sat in a perfect panic of dread and shame.

The very moment the omnibus drew up before the house she sprang out of
it, and, regardless of what her aunt might think, rushed in and through
the house to the kitchen.

"O Fanny," she cried, desperation in face and voice; but even in that
distressful moment she remembered a former occasion when Aunt Pike's
arrival had thrown her into just such a frantic state, "what about
supper? Aunt Pike has asked about it, and I hadn't even thought about
it; and--oh, what _can_ I do? I suppose there is nothing in the house?"

For a second or two Fanny went on calmly and deliberately with what she
was about. "Well, miss," she said at last in her severest tone, "there
is something, and a plenty, thanks to me and Miss Betty. If there
'adn't a been, it wouldn't 'ave been no manner of use to come rushing
out to me now, when it's time for it to be on the table. Of course,
when folks comes unexpected that's one thing, but--"

Kitty in her great relief did not heed Fanny's lecture in the least.
"O Fanny, you are a dear," she cried joyfully. "I will do something for
you some day.--Hullo! Betty," for Betty at that moment came tiptoeing
into the kitchen.

"'Twas Miss Betty as first thought of it," said Fanny honestly.
"I s'pose 'twould 'ave come into my 'ead some time, but I'm bound to say
it 'adn't till Miss Betty mentioned it."

Betty beamed with pleased importance, but tried to look indifferent.
"I wanted Aunt Pike to see that we do know how to do things. What is
Anna like?" she broke off to ask anxiously.

"She is like Anna exactly," said Kitty bluntly, "and no one else; she
never could be. She'll never change, not if she lives to be eighty.
Come along up, and get ready. Oh, I _am_ so glad you thought about the
supper, Betty dear. How clever you are! Aunt Pike would have thought
worse of me than ever if you hadn't, and--"

"Um!" responded Betty, with a toss of her head, "perhaps if Aunt Pike
knew that if it hadn't been for me she'd have had no supper, she
wouldn't say rude things about me again. I think it's awfully hard.
If you don't do things you are scolded, and if you _do_ do them you are
called too self--self-confidential."

"I wouldn't mind what I was called," said Kitty, as she hurried away to
get ready, "as long as I could manage to do the right thing sometimes,
and not always forget till too late."

CHAPTER X.

LESSONS, A