them. They were just visible in the distance. He soon
reached them, very much to Jessie's relief. Tenderly kissing her he
said--

"Where have you been, Jessie?"

"We missed our way, and got lost in the woods behind that horrid quarry!"
said Emily. "It's a wonder we ever found the way back again."

"Oh, fy--" cried Jessie. She would have said more, and have contradicted
this wretched lie, but Emily put her hand before her mouth while she
poured a long story of pretended adventures into Guy's ears. Jessie was
shocked. She thought of her uncle's sigh, and of his quaint proverb, and
was silent.

It was fairly dark when the Little Susan, steered by Joe Bunker, with
Charlie and the other boys on board, touched her dock. The horses being by
this time harnessed to the wagon, the party with their freight of nuts,
were soon rolling homewards. Very little was said, after Emily,
interrupted by frequent "ohs!" from Jessie, had repeated her lie about
losing their way. All felt that the pleasure of the occasion had been
greatly marred by Charlie's conduct; and in spite of Emily's lie and
Jessie's silence, they also felt that if Jessie should speak she would
make it appear that Emily's story was not exactly true. But the reader
_knows_ that all the shadows which fell upon that excursion came from the
selfishness of the two visitors from Morristown.

CHAPTER IV.

Jessie's Great Sorrow.

At the tea-table Emily told a long story about herself and Jessie
wandering away into the woods, and getting sadly frightened. She was very
animated, and, but for Jessie's sad face, and her occasional look of
surprise, might have made herself believed. But that grave face, so
unusual to his darling Jessie, told Uncle Morris that Emily was palming
off a falsehood upon them. Guy also was sure she was telling a lie. When
she had finished her story, he said,

"But did you not hear us shout and halloo?"

"No, indeed. If we had, we could have easily answered back," said the
lying child.

"O Emily!" groaned Jessie.

"We shouted like one o'clock!" said Hugh.

"Pray tell us, Master Hugh, what shouting like one o'clock means?" asked
Uncle Morris, who had a very great dislike to unmeaning phrases.

"Well, very loud, then," replied Hugh, blushing.

"But you didn't shout loud enough for us to hear," said Emily, secretly
pinching Jessie, by way of imposing silence upon her.

"It's very strange," said Guy. "It was certainly not more than ten