I know, but Cousin Charlotte
hasn't, and--and this is different. Lots of people do this.
Sit there, and don't talk."

Poppy obeyed. Anything that her sisters approved was right, in her
judgment. Penelope seated herself by the window, Angela on a little chair
by the empty hearth, a grave, devout look on her pretty face.
Then Anna came in, and Miss Ashe opened the Bible and read.
She read only a few verses, but they were such as would appeal to the
hearts of children. Then she closed the book and knelt down; at a sign
from Esther they all knelt too, and Miss Ashe asked God's blessing on this
new day and their new life, and thanked Him for His care and love, after
which she began to repeat the Lord's Prayer.

"Oh, I know that," exclaimed Poppy delightedly. She repeated the prayer
sentence by sentence; Anna did the same, and Esther and the others joined
in; and to Esther, at least, as the sacred words were spoken, the whole
world seemed to alter. The worry and irritability, the dread of she knew
not what, all slipped away from her; and life seemed brighter and happier,
and full of good things.

"What a lovely way to begin a day," she thought. "I hope we always have
prayers. She got up and helped Poppy to her feet, and, after a moment or
two, they all drew up to the table. Poppy looked about her with frank
interested eyes.

"Oh, _what_ a lovely breakfast!" she sighed, apparently overwhelmed by the
loveliness, and every one was obliged to laugh. It was what they were all
thinking, but the elder ones did not like to put their thoughts into
words. Yet it was a simple enough meal; but the clean white cloth and
shining silver, the flowers and fruit, and the dainty neatness of
everything made it seem perfectly beautiful to little people accustomed to
Lydia's untidy, careless ways, to soiled and ragged cloths, badly washed
silver and dirty knives, and food put down anyhow, and often not enough of
it. This was what Esther had always instinctively yearned for; to the
others it came as a surprise.

"I've been thinking, children," said Cousin Charlotte--who had indeed been
lying awake half the night, realising for the first time all she had
undertaken, and trying to grasp all her duties. "I have been thinking you
had better perhaps have a few days' holiday to begin with, so as to get
accustomed to your new surroundings, and then by and by we must begin to
think about lessons. I am expecting to hear from your mother o