“Oh, Polly!” cried Phronsie suddenly, and lifting her head, she fastened her brown eyes on the face above her, “wasn’t Mamsie’s birthday cake good?”

“The flowers were pretty, but the cake was heavy, don’t you remember?” said Polly, who hadn’t recovered from that grief even yet.

“I thought it was just beautiful,” cried Mrs. Pepper hastily.  “No one could have baked it better in the old stove you had.  I’m sure we ate it all up, every crumb.”

“We kept it in the old cupboard,” cried Joel, rushing over to the corner to swing the door open.  “And we never once peeked, Mamsie, so afraid you’d suspect.”

“You kept staring at the cupboard door all the evening, Joe, you know you did,” cried Ben; “you were just within a hair’s breadth of letting the whole thing out ever so many times.  Polly and I had to drag you away.  We were glad enough when you went to bed, I can tell you.”

“You were always sending me off to bed in those days,” said Joel, taking his head out of the cupboard to throw vindictive glances over to the group around the stove.

“I wish we could do so now,” said Ben.

“And those two,” Joel went on, pointing to Polly and Ben, “used to go whispering around a lot of old secrets, that they wouldn’t tell us.  Oh! it was perfectly awful, wasn’t it, Dave?” bestowing a small pinch on that individual’s shoulder.

“I liked the secrets best not to know them till Polly and Ben got ready to tell us,” said David slowly; “then they were just magnificent.”

Phronsie had laid her head back in the waiting lap, and was crooning softly to herself.

“I want to go and see dear good Mr. Beebe,” she said presently, “and nice Mrs. Beebe, can I, Mamsie?” looking over at her.

“To be sure,” cried Mrs. Pepper, “you shall indeed, child.”

“Beebe-Beebe, and who is he, pray?” demanded Mr. King.

“Oh! he keeps the shoe shop over in the Center,” explained three or four voices, “and Phronsie’s new shoes were bought there, you know.”

“And he gave me pink and white candy-sticks,” said Phronsie, and he was very nice; and I like him very much.”

“And Mrs. Beebe gave us doughnuts all around,” communicated Joel; “I don’t know but that I liked those best.  There was more to them.”

“So you always bought your new shoes of the Beebes?” asked the old gentleman, a question that brought all the five Peppers around his chair at once.

“We didn’t ever have new shoes that I can remember,” said Joel quickly, “except Phronsie’s, and once Ben had a new pair.  He had to, because he was the oldest, you know.”

“Oh!” said Mr. King.

“You see,” said Phronsie, shaking her head gravely, while she laid one hand on his knee, “we were very poor, Grandpapa dear.  Don’t you understand?”

“Yes, yes, child,” said old Mr. King; “there, get up here,” and he took her within his arms.