B'ack-eyed beans, un bread un butter."

It was not possible to help smiling. Prudy in spite of her shame and
distress, shook with laughter; but it was a laughter just ready to
tremble into tears.

"I'll never ask mother to let her come again, if I once _do_ get her
safe home," thought outraged Prudy.

Dotty was not allowed to attend Sabbath school again that year; but it
was a long time before she forgot some of the things she had heard Miss
Carlisle say. Many of the strange words rang in her ears for weeks after
wards, though she said nothing about them.

One day she rushed into the nursery out of breath. Prudy was kneeling
before her little trunk, putting in order the paper dolls, which Dotty
had scattered over the floor. They were a sad sight. Some of them had
lost their heads, and some had lost their fine clothes, which are worth
as much as heads any day--to dolls.

But Dotty did not stop to look at the mischief she had made. Her
thoughts were of other matters. She had brought from the kitchen a "Tom
Thumb lamp" and a bunch of matches.

Without a word she seated herself on the floor, behind her sister, and
drew off her shoes and stockings. She looked for a moment at her little
pink toes, then rubbed the whole bunch of matches on the carpet, saying
to herself, "A lamp to my feet."

But, somehow, the lamp would not light itself. Dotty did not know how to