ne wanting to tell father that Helen
had been to see them in a carriage, at that.

"Do hush, children!" began Aunt Jane, sharply. "You haven't any more
manners than a lot of pigs, everyone squealing at once. Yes, I think we
made a great mistake letting Helen go over to Mrs. Dayton's. We couldn't
well refuse an old neighbor, I know. But she's that full of airs, and so
high-headed that she could hardly talk. I don't see how she could make
up her mind to come round to the kitchen door."

Aurelia giggled. "Wouldn't it have been funny to have her knock at the
front door!" and all the children laughed.

"'Twould be a good thing to bring her back now. There's so much to do,
and fruit to put up all the time. And she'd get in a little decent
training before she went in the shop."

"She'll soon get the nonsense knocked out of her there," said Jenny.
"You needn't feel anxious about that."

"Sho, mother, that girl's good enough where she is, an' a bargain's a
bargain. She was to stay till the first of September. And when you're in
Rome you do as the Romans do, I've heard. It's natural, she should get
polished up a little over there."

"I'm as good as Mrs. Dayton, if I don't keep city boarders," flung out
Aunt Jane, resentfully. "And I've the best claim on Helen when we've
taken care of her all these years."

"I d'know as she'd earned twenty-four dollars at home," said Uncle
Jason.

"I s'pose not in money," admitted Aunt Jane, who down in her heart had
no notion of bringing Helen home. "But I feel as if I had earned half
that money doing without her."

"Twenty-four dollars. Phew! Pap, suppose you had to pay me that!"
exclaimed Sam.

"You get your board and clothes," said his mother.

So they were mapping out Helen's life, and she was thinking whether she
could have the courage to fight it out. She could not go back to the
farm. That she settled definitely.

She picked up Mrs. Van Dorn's wraps and her three letters and carried
them upstairs.

"I'm going to rest a while," said the lady. "You may come up in--well,
half an hour. Will you push the reclining chair over by the window?"

Helen did that and laid the fleecy wrap within reach, smiled and nodded
and ran lightly downstairs. In a moment she was helping Mrs. Dayton take
out the dishes to the kitchen, and then dried them for Joanna.

"Now Miss Helen, if you wanted a situation, I'd give you a good
recommend," exclaimed Joanna, smilingly.

Then she went out on th