her from pain, and saved yourself and visitor from a serious
annoyance."

"How do you mean?"

"Don't you know what Mary wanted?"

"No."

"Is it possible! I thought you learned it when she came to me after
Mrs. Peters had left.

"No, I didn't know. What was the matter with her?"

The brother stepped to the door and called for Mary, who presently
came running down-stairs.

"What do you want, uncle?" said she, as she came up to him and
lifted her sparkling blue eyes to his face.

"What were you going to ask your mother to do for you when Mrs.
Peters was here this morning?"

"A pin stuck me," replied the child, artlessly. "Don't you know that
you took it out?"

"Yes, so I did. Let me look at the place," and he turned down Mary's
frock so that her mother could see the scratched and inflamed spot
upon her neck.