they make you the
seamstress of the family?"

"Seamstress? O Anne, I am doing this for myself."

"Do you sleep on sheets like that?" said Letitia inquisitively. "_They_
don't, I'll be bound."

"Sheets? what do you mean? O Letty, I am not doing these for _myself_."

"You said you were."

"For myself--yes, in a way. I mean, I am doing this work for my own
pleasure; not for my own bed. It is for some poor people."

"For some poor people," Letty repeated. "I think Mrs. Laval might have
let one of her servants do it, if she wanted to be charitable, or hire
it done, even; and not save a penny by setting you at it."

"She did not set me at it," said Matilda in despair. "O you don't
understand. She has nothing to do with it at all."

"Are these yours, then?"

"Yes."

"_You_ bought them and paid for them?"

"Yes. At least, a friend bought them for me, but I am going to pay him
the money back."

"Is it your own money?"

"Why yes, Anne; whose should it be?"

"So you have more than you want, and can actually throw it away?"

"Not throw it away, Anne; for these people, that these sheets are for,
are miserably off. You would think so, if you saw them."

"I don't want to see anybody worse off than myself," said Letitia.
"Why, what is that the child has got in her bosom, hanging to that
ribband. What is it?--a watch, I declare! Gold? is it a gold watch
really? Think of it, Anne!"

"It was one of my Christmas presents," said poor Matilda, hardly
knowing what to say.

"How many other presents did you have?"

Matilda had to tell, though she had a feeling it would not be to the
gratification of her sisters. They listened and looked, said little,
but by degrees drew out from her all the history of the evening's
entertainment.

"That's the way _she_ lives," said Letitia to Anne. "That's the way she
is going on; while you and I are making people's dresses."

"But aren't you getting on well?" asked their little sister, sorely
bestead to make the conversation pleasant to them.

"We get work, and we do it," said Letitia. "And so make out to have
some bread and butter with our tea."

"But you have dinner, don't you?"

"I don't know what you'd call it," said Letitia. "What do you have for
dinner?"

"O the boys and Judy Bartholomew and I, we have our dinner at one o'
clock."

"Well, what do you _have?_" said Letitia sharply. "What did you have
to-day?"

"We had beefsteak."

"Not all alone, I suppose. What di