I’m afraid Father will find out what a pretending person I am, and he mustn’t find.  It’s been much better since I knew Miss Frances.  I’m awful much obliged to You for letting me know her, but she isn’t permanent, Mother McNeil says, and may go away soon.  I’m going to try to have a grand Christmas and be as nice as I can to Mrs. Rheinhimer, but she’s so lazy and dirty it’s hard not to tell her so.  And if You could let a nice thing happen for Christmas I hope You will.  If it could be a marriage and I could be bridesmaid I’d like that best, as I’ve never been to an inside wedding, just outside on the street.  I don’t care for poor marriages.  Amen.”

On her feet, Carmencita hesitated, then, going to a closet across the room, took from its top shelf a shabby straw hat and put it on.  “This was bought for me and fits,” she said, as if to some one by her side, “and, straw or no straw, it feels better than that Coachman Cattie, which is gone for evermore.  Some day I hope I can burn you up, too”—­she nodded to the coat into which she was struggling—­“but I can’t do it yet.  You’re awful ugly and much too big, but you’re warm and the only one I’ve got.  I’ll have half an hour before it’s time to go for Father.  If Miss Frances is home I can talk a lot in half an hour.”

CHAPTER II

Carmencita knocked.  There was no answer.  She knocked again.  After the third knock she opened the door and, hand on the knob, looked in.

“Oh, Miss Frances, I was afraid you had gone out!  I knocked and knocked, but you didn’t say come in, so I thought I’d look.  Please excuse me!”

The girl at the sewing-machine, which was close to the window and far from the door, stopped its running, turned in her chair, and held out her hand.  “Hello, Carmencita!  I’m glad it’s you and not Miss Perkins.  I wouldn’t want Miss Perkins to see me trying to sew, but you can see.  Take off your coat.  Is it cold out?”

“Getting cold.”  The heavy coat was laid on one chair, and Carmencita, taking up a half-made gingham dress from another, sat in it and laid the garment in her lap.  “I didn’t know you knew how to sew.”

“I don’t.”  The girl at the machine laughed.  “Those Simcoe children didn’t have a dress to change in, and I’m practising on some skirts and waists for them.  Every day I’m finding out something else I don’t know how to do.  I seem to have been taught a good many things there is no special need of knowing, and very few I can make use of down here.”

“You didn’t expect to come down here when you were learning things, did you?” Carmencita’s eyes were gravely watching the efforts being made to thread the machine’s needle.  “I guess when you were a little girl you didn’t know there were things like you see down here.  What made you come here, Miss Frances?  You didn’t have to.  What made you come?”

Into the fine fair face color crept slowly, and for a moment a sudden frown ridged the high forehead from which the dark hair, parted and brushed back, waved into a loose knot at the back of her head; then she laughed, and her dark eyes looked into Carmencita’s blue ones.