hick woods. It's
springtime, and the trees are all green, and the grass slick and soft.
And birds are singing, and the wind's singing in the leaves, too. And
the sun's shining, and all the clouds have silver edges."

She paused.

"Yes, dear," said grandpa.

"That's the house of the Lord," she explained.

"Yes, dear," said grandpa again. "What else?"

"Well, I'm skipping and jumping along, for I'm happy to be in the house
of the Lord. And there are three little fairies, all dressed in silver
and gold, and with paper-flowers in their hair, and long diamond bangles
hanging like fringe on their skirts. They're following me, and they're
skipping and jumping, too. They're the three fairies in the verse."

"The three fairies?" Grandpa seemed puzzled.

"Yes. It says 'Surely goodness and mercy,' you know."

"But that makes only two, doesn't it?" said grandpa, still puzzled.

Missy laughed at his stupidity.

"Why, no!--Three!" She counted them off on her fingers: "Surely--and
Goodness--and Mercy. Don't you see?"

"Oh, yes, dear--I see now," said grandpa, very slowly. "I wasn't
counting Surely."

Just then came a chuckle from the doorway. Missy hadn't seen Pete enter,
else she would have been less free in revealing her real thoughts. What
had he overheard?

Still laughing, Pete advanced into the room.

"So there's a fairy named 'Surely,' is there? What's the colour of her
eyes, Missy?"

Missy shrank a little closer into the haven of grandpa's knees. And
grandpa, in the severe voice that made the other children stand in awe
of him, said:

"That will do, Peter!"

But Peter, unawed, went on:

"I know, grandpa--but she's such a funny little dingbat! And now, that
she's turned pious--"

Grandpa interrupted him with a gesture of the hand.

"I said that'd do, Peter. If you'd find some time to attend prayers
instead of cavorting round over town, it wouldn't hurt you any."

Then grandma, who, though she was fond of Missy, was fond of Pete also,
joined in defensively:

"Pete hasn't been cavorting round over town, grandpa--he's just been
over to the Curriers'."

At that Missy turned interested eyes upon her big cousin. He'd been
calling on Polly Currier again! Polly Currier was one of the prettiest
big girls in Cherryvale. Missy gazed at Pete, so handsome in his
stylish-looking blue serge coat and sharply creased white ducks,
debonairly twirling the bamboo walking-stick which the Cherryvale
boys, half-enviousl