quite sedate and observing.

Somehow the painful examples appealed to Miss Muffet most, for she was
very tender-hearted. There was the little criminal who once stole a pin.
Miss Muffet had always understood that a pin was the very worst thing to
steal; it had such fearful consequences. The last consequence generally
is that one is transported. And there was an example of youthful
obstinacy who wouldn't pronounce the letter G. His mother was almost
broken-hearted for fear he might take a prejudice against other letters
of the alphabet. She sat up three nights with him and spent days trying
to make him say G.

"It shows that she was a good mother, doesn't it?" said Miss Muffet.

"It shows that she didn't have to do her own work," replied the Little
Old Woman.

A group of very old-fashioned children were talking together in
whispers. They were evidently anxious that no older persons should hear
them.

"There they are at it again," said the Little Old Woman; "they are Mrs.
Opie's children. People don't know them so well now, but they used to be
notorious for telling White Lies. I have no doubt that they are doing it
now; they are exaggerating."

"What's that?" asked Miss Muffet.

"It's telling how large a thing is before you've measured it."

"But what if you haven't a tape-line with you?"

"Then you should say nothing about it."

"There is Hal," said Miss Muffet; "I know him by the miserable piece of
string hanging out of his pocket. Hal cut his string. It was a sin and
he suffers for it. His cousin Ben untied his and has it always ready for
emergencies. All his emergencies are of that kind; they need a piece of
whipcord to bring them out right. I've no doubt but that to-night the
coach of one of the very prettiest princesses will break down and Ben
will tie it up. It would be just his luck."

Of course it was not long before Miss Muffet sought out Rollo Halliday.

[Illustration: _Hal cut his string_]

"I always did like Rollo," she said. "I almost forget that he is a Youth
sometimes. The nicest thing about him is that you always know what he
means. He always tells you where he is and how he got there, without
skipping anything that you ought to know. When he goes into a room, he
goes through the door, opening and shutting the door just as you
expected. He isn't at all like Humpty Dumpty. I don't think I ever knew
two persons more different. There was only one time when he puzzled me.
When he went to Europ