been in all morning; rather the reverse, for her fingers were blue with cold, yet she would not leave off and come near the fire. Susan was sitting on a stool at nurse's feet, quietly threading a quantity of small beads that had been given to her by her kind Aunt Kate.

Now, if little Susan had been fretful, there might have been some excuse for her, because she was a stranger, and this was the first time she had ever been away from home. She was much happier there, for her sisters and brothers were always good-natured, and they had so many ways of making a rainy day pass pleasantly, that Susan never knew till now that it could make any one unhappy. But Susan always managed to be contented with everything; and though nurse knew that after the little head was laid down on the pillow, and covered up out of sight of every one, many tears were shed, perhaps because she missed her mother's voice and good-night kiss, still she did not trouble any one, but would rise in the morning as merry as a lark, and quite ready to perform all the duties of the day.

But it was quite different with Rachel. Though everything was done to make her happy, she was seldom or ever pleased; being of a thoroughly discontented and jealous nature, she was always fancying she was slighted or neglected, and that no one ever tried to please her. Her grandmother doated upon her, and blindly shut her eyes to her faults, being too old to think much upon the matter. But Rachel was very sly, and managed to keep her temper pretty well within bounds in her grandmother's presence; but to the servants she was rude and overbearing, and to poor nurse she was disobedient, and drove her almost stupid sometimes with her naughty ways. Governess after governess came and went, but none would stay any length of time, for Mrs Baird would not allow her to be punished, and Rachel did not scruple to tell a falsehood, and deny altogether that she was in fault. She had taken it into her head to have Susan for a companion, and never rested till she had got her grand

mother to invite her. Susan's mother and father were well aware of their niece's peculiar temper, but they thought it was their duty to let their little girl go, hoping that Susan's gentle disposition might in some measure have a beneficial effect.

After Susan came, Rachel was really improving; having a companion of her own age was such a novelty; and she was greatly amused by the new games her cousin knew. They had begun to build a rabbit-house, with the assistance of the gardener's son, after the plan of one just finishing at Susan's home; and when it was done, grandmamma had promised to buy each of them a pair of rabbits. In the very middle of their work, the rain came to stop them; and now Rachel sat grumbling and fretful, making herself and every one around her as unhappy as possible. Nurse tried to take no notice of her when she found that she was determined to be naughty; but when she saw how she was dirtying her nice clean floor, she could not stand it any longer.

'I'll tell ye for the last time, Miss Rachel, to let that water abee,' said nurse, wrathfully. I wonder ye're no ashamed o' yourself, sitting there like a sulky wee bear! See how yer cousin is amusing herself, and no a word o' grumble in her head. Come, like a good girl, and thread your beads.'

'No, I sha'n't. I'll sit here if I like. I'm not going to be a baby, and thread beads,' answered Rachel.

'I have heard mamma say,' said Susan, 'that it's only babies who cry because the weather is bad; for we ought to know that the rain is sent by God to do the ground good, and to make the flowers grow. We can't have dry weather always, Rachel.'

'That's quite true, Miss Susan,' said nurse approvingly. 'Your mother is a sensible lady. If it wasn't for the rain we would get no corn, and then there would be plenty more hungry mouths to feed than there are. Oh, Miss Rachel, you ought to be thankful you have such a warm room to sit in, and that you are not like the poor

folks who often have to go without a fire or meat, and often without a roof to cover them.'

'I don't care; I hate beggars. The rain had no business to come just now. It will have spoilt all our work already; and besides, grandmamma said, if it was a fine evening we were to go to Dr Mason's to tea, and now we can't go, of course. Oh, I hate the rain!'

But, Rachel, we can build the rabbit-house again. It will be more fun; and we can go to Dr Mason's another time,' said Susan.

'Oh, you don't care, of course,' replied Rachel. 'You are a nasty selfish thing. You've got a rabbit-house at home, and when you go away, you won't care a pin whether mine is done or not.'

For a moment Susan's lip quivered, for she had a very sensitive heart, and she had a little difficulty in seeing the hole of the beads with the tears that dimmed her eyes. But when she had tossed back her curls, and shaken herself a little, she was all right again, and answered quite pleasantly

'I am sure I'm as sorry as you are, Rachel, for grandmamma is going to give me a pair of rabbits too; but you know fretting won't make the rain stop. Mamma always says so. Come, Rachel, don't be cross about it; let us have a game at draughts, or anything you would like better;' and Susan laid down her beads, and flung her arms round her cousin's neck, and tried to kiss her. But Rachel turned her face away, and shook off the kind little arms.

Just let her He has got a

Oh fie! Miss Rachel,' said nurse, 'I'm quite ashamed o' ye. Never mind her any more, my dear. sit till the black dog comes off her back. terrible grip o' her the now.'

Susan went to her work once more; and, to amuse her, nurse told of the time when her father was a little boy in that same room,—a wonderful story, that far surpassed, in Susan's estimation, all the strange tales that nurse could tell. To-day nurse told of a time when Master Henry

was lost, and how all the men about the place were out in search of him, 'Oh me!' said nurse, warming with her subject, my heart was nearly broken when bed-time came, and no word o' my puir laddie; and to make matters worse, it began to pour o' rain, and there was an awful deal o' thunder and lightning, an' I kent that Master Henry was aye feared for the thunder.'

Then she told how he was not found till far in the night, lying in a hole with his leg broken, and his fishingrod lying by the burnside where he had been fishing. 'Master Henry was aye a thoughtful bairn, but to see him carried by the gardener, with his face sae white, an' to hear him aye saying, "Don't tell mamma, please don't tell mamma," set me an' a' the servant lasses crying together.'

The tears were standing full in Susan's eyes while nurse was telling her story, and even Rachel seemed interested; but when nurse added that Master Henry was always her favourite, because he was so good and gentle, and gave no trouble to any one, just like Susan's own self, who, nurse said, was very like him, Rachel's jealousy got the better of her, and springing up, she almost screamed in her passion—

'I know you like Susan better than me. You've always nice stories to tell her about her papa, but you never tell me such nice ones about my mamma.'

'The lassie's demented,' cried nurse. 'If ye go on at this rate, yer cousin will be sae frightened for ye, that she will go away home. I'm no saying that I didna like yer mother as well as Master Henry; I only wish you were a wee thing mair like her. But ye're no a Baird, but a Swinton.'

'I don't want her to stay, I want her to go home; everybody likes her best,' cried Rachel, stamping with passion:

At this very moment the door opened, and their grandmamma looked in. 'What's the matter with my darling?' said Mrs Baird, coming forward and putting her arm round the naughty Rachel, who was sobbing as if she had received some terrible injury.

'Indeed, ma'am, there's nothing the matter with her, but what she has brought upon herself. She's in a bad temper about the rain, and she has spoken very unkindly to her cousin here,' said nurse.

'Oh, grandmamma, it's not true,' sobbed Rachel; 'nurse tells Susan such nice stories, and she won't tell me any. She hates me, I know, and likes Susan best.'

Come, come, my darling, I'm sure you are wrong. Nurse likes you the best, of course, and so does grandmamma. Now don't cry, for I can't bear to see my pet so unhappy. Now, now, be a good child, and you shall have some cake and apples to play with.'

'But, ma'am, Miss Rachel deserves to be punished instead of being coaxed, she has been a bad girl all day,' said nurse, determined to speak her mind. The mistaken old lady would not listen, however, and only answered—

'Come, nurse, don't be too hard on her. It's natural she should be fretful and vexed about the rain: children will be children, you know.'

'But, ma'am, ye didna speak in that way to yer ain; ye brought them up quite differently. I canna understand it,' said nurse, shaking her head.

With another caress to Rachel, and tapping Susan's cheek kindly, Mrs Baird went away to send up Martin with the cake, which soon arrived, and had the effect of restoring Rachel's good nature for the time. Along with the cake, Martin brought a message that nurse was wanted by her mistress down below; and the two little girls were left alone, playing at keeping house. Nurse was glad to see them on such friendly terms again, and hoped it might continue till she came back. But after a time, Rachel, wearied of the game, and her eyes falling by accident on nurse's basket, she noticed that the keys of the chest of drawers had been left behind.

'Oh, delightful!' she cried, as she pounced down upon them. I say, Susan, we will get out my large doll Aunt Kate gave me, and we will play at a doll's house.'

'Oh, but Rachel, Aunt Kate made you promise not to