"I saw big Ben poking his fire," answered Hetty after a moment's
reflection. "He put me out, and then I saw him hurting the horses' feet
with his hammer. I wanted the horses to come along with me, but they
shook their heads and stayed where they were. Then I tried to catch the
butterflies, and they flew right past my eyes. And I thought the yellow
lilies could fly too, and they wouldn't. Then I pulled their heads
off--"

"And were you not at school at all?" asked Mrs. Ford. "Well, well,
Hetty, you are wild. If you saw my little boys going so good to their
school! What more did you do, Hetty?"

"I went into school, and schoolmistress put me in a corner. Then I drew
marks with my tears on the wall; and afterwards I said my spelling. And
I came home and got some daisies; and I saw Charlie Ford standing in the
pond with his shoes and stockings on."

"Oh my! oh my! well I never!" cried Mrs. Ford, snatching up her bonnet,
and getting ready to go home in a hurry. "Charley in the pond with his
shoes and stockings on! It seems, Mrs. Kane, that I've been praising him
too soon!"

While Mrs. Ford was running down the road after Charley, Mrs. Enderby,
up at Wavertree Hall, was directing her servants to carry the table for
tea out upon the lawn under the wide-spreading beech-trees; and her two
little daughters, Phyllis aged eight and Nell aged seven, were hovering
about waiting to place baskets of flowers and strawberries on the
embroidered cloth. Mrs. Rushton, sister-in-law of Mrs. Enderby and aunt
of the children, was spending the afternoon at the Hall, having come a
distance of some miles to do so.