9.  How Bessie laughed when she saw a big, brown toad winking his bright eyes at her, as if he would say, “No offense, I hope.”

10.  Just then Bessie heard a bell ringing loudly.  She knew it was calling her home; but how could she leave her basket?  She must look for that first.

11.  “Waiting, waiting, waiting,” all at once sang a bird out of sight among the branches; “waiting, Bessie.”

12.  “Sure enough,” said Bessie; “perhaps I’m making dear mother or auntie wait; and they are so good to me.  I’d better let the basket wait.  Take care of it, birdie; and don’t jump on my flowers, Mr. Toad.”

LESSON LXIX.

visit soaked o be’di ent ru’ined

[Illustration:  Girl on couch looking out window.]

BESSIE.  (CONCLUDED.)

1.  She was back at the house in a few minutes, calling, “Mother! mother! auntie!  Who wants me?”

2.  “I, dear,” said her mother.  “I am going away for a long visit, and if you had not come at once, I could not have said good-by to my little girl.”

3.  Then Bessie’s mother kissed her, and told her to obey her kind aunt while she was gone.

4.  The next morning, Bessie waked to find it raining hard.  She went into her aunt’s room with a very sad face.  “O auntie! this old rain!”

5, “This new, fresh, beautiful rain, Bessie!  How it will make our flowers grow, and what a good time we can have together in the house!”

6.  “I know it, auntie; but you will think me so careless!”

7.  “To let it rain?”

8.  “No; don’t laugh, Aunt Annie; to leave your nice basket out of doors all night; and now it will be soaked and ruined in this—­this—­beautiful rain.”  Bessie did not look as if the beautiful rain made her very happy.

9.  “You must be more careful, dear, another time,” said her aunt, gently.  “But come, tell me all about it.”

10.  So Bessie crept very close to her auntie’s side, and told her of her happy time the day before; of the squirrel, and the toad, and how the basket rolled away down the hill; and then how the bell rang, and she could not stop to find the basket.

11.  “And you did quite right,” said her aunt.  “If you had stopped, your mother must have waited a whole day, or else gone without seeing you.  When I write, I will tell her how obedient you were, and that will please her more than anything else I can say.”

LESSON LXX.

sought sure’ly (shu) wel’come light’some

loft’y maid’en cher’ished in tro duce’

CHEERFULNESS.

[Illustration:  Script Exercise: 

There is a little maiden—­
  Who is she?  Do you know? 
Who always has a welcome,
  Wherever she may go.