That niece of yours is the most remarkablegirl I have seen in years," said Mr.

　　Burch when the door closed.

　　"She seems to be turnin' out smart enough lately,but she's consid'able heedless," answered Miranda,"an' most too lively.""We must remember that it is deficient, notexcessive vitality, that makes the greatest trouble inthis world," returned Mr. Burch.

　　"She'd make a wonderful missionary," said Mrs.

　　Burch; "with her voice, and her magnetism, and hergift of language.""If I was to say which of the two she was bestadapted for, I'd say she'd make a better heathen,"remarked Miranda curtly.

　　"My sister don't believe in flattering children,"hastily interpolated Jane, glancing toward Mrs.

　　Burch, who seemed somewhat shocked, and wasabout to open her lips to ask if Rebecca was nota "professor."Mrs. Cobb had been looking for this question allthe evening and dreading some allusion to herfavorite as gifted in prayer. She had taken aninstantaneous and illogical dislike to the Rev. Mr. Burchin the afternoon because he called upon Rebeccato "lead." She had seen the pallor creep into thegirl's face, the hunted look in her eyes, and thetrembling of the lashes on her cheeks, and realizedthe ordeal through which she was passing. Herprejudice against the minister had relaxed under hisgenial talk and presence, but feeling that Mrs.

　　Burch was about to tread on dangerous ground, shehastily asked her if one had to change cars manytimes going from Riverboro to Syria. She felt thatit was not a particularly appropriate question, but itserved her turn.

　　Deacon Milliken, meantime, said to Miss Sawyer,"Mirandy, do you know who Rebecky reminds meof?""I can guess pretty well," she replied.

　　"Then you've noticed it too! I thought at first,seein' she favored her father so on the outside, thatshe was the same all through; but she ain't, she'slike your father, Israel Sawyer.""I don't see how you make that out," saidMiranda, thoroughly astonished.

　　"It struck me this afternoon when she got upto give your invitation in meetin'. It was kind o'

　　cur'ous, but she set in the same seat he used towhen he was leader o' the Sabbath-school. Youknow his old way of holdin' his chin up and throwin'

　　his head back a leetle when he got up to sayanything? Well, she done the very same thing; therewas more'n one spoke of it."The callers left before nine, and at that hour (animpossibly dissipated one for the brick house) thefamily retired for the night. As Rebecca carriedMrs. Burch's candle upstairs and found herselfthus alone with her for a minute, she said shyly,"Will you please tell Mr. Burch that I'm not amember of the church? I didn't know what to dowhen he asked me to pray this afternoon. I hadn'tthe courage to say I had never done it out loudand didn't know how. I couldn't think; and I wasso frightened I wanted to sink into the floor. Itseemed bold and wicked for me to pray before allthose old church members and make believe I wasbetter than I really was; but then again, wouldn'tGod think I was wicked not to be willing to praywhen a minister asked me to?"The candle light fell on Rebecca's flushed, sensitiveface. Mrs. Burch bent and kissed her good-night. "Don't be troubled," she said. "I'll tellMr. Burch, and I guess God will understand."Rebecca waked before six the next morning, sofull of household cares that sleep was impossible.

　　She went to the window and looked out; it wasstill dark, and a blustering, boisterous day.

　　"Aunt Jane told me she should get up at halfpast six and have breakfast at half past seven," shethought; "but I daresay they are both sick withtheir colds, and aunt Miranda will be fidgety withso many in the house. I believe I'll creep downand start things for a surprise."She put on a wadded wrapper and slippers andstole quietly down the tabooed front stairs,carefully closed the kitchen door behind her so that nonoise should waken the rest of the household, busiedherself for a half hour with the early morning routineshe knew so well, and then went back to her roomto dress before calling the children.

　　Contrary to expectation, Miss Jane, who theevening before felt better than Miranda, grew worsein the night, and was wholly unable to leave her bedin the morning. Miranda grumbled without ceasingduring the progress of her hasty toilet, blamingeverybody in the universe for the afflictions she hadborne and was to bear during the day; she evencastigated the Missionary Board that had sent theBurches to Syria, and gave it as her unbiased opinionthat those who went to foreign lands for the purposeof saving heathen should stay there and save'em, and not go gallivantin' all over the earth witha passel o' children, visitin' folks that didn't want'em and never asked 'em.

　　Jane lay anxiously and restlessly in bed with afeverish headache, wondering how her sister couldmanage without her.

　　Miranda walked stiffly through the dining-room,tying a shawl over her head to keep the draughtsaway, intending to start the breakfast fire and thencall Rebecca down, set her to work, and tell her,meanwhile, a few plain facts concerning the properway of representing the family at a missionarymeeting.

　　She opened the kitchen door and stared vaguelyabout her, wondering whether she had strayed intothe wrong house by mistake.

　　The shades were up, and there was a roaring firein the stove; the teakettle was singing and bubblingas it sent out a cloud of steam, and pushedover its capacious nose was a half sheet of notepaper with "Compliments of Rebecca" scrawledon it. The coffee pot was scalding, the coffee wasmeasured out in a bowl, and broken eggshells forthe settling process were standing near. The coldpotatoes and corned beef were in the wooden tray,and "Regards of Rebecca" stuck on the choppingknife. The brown loaf was out, the white loaf wasout, the toast rack was out, the doughnuts were out,the milk was skimmed, the butter had been broughtfrom the dairy.

　　Miranda removed the shawl from her head andsank into the kitchen rocker, ejaculating under herbreath, "She is the beatin'est child! I declare she'sall Sawyer!"The day and the evening passed off with creditand honor to everybody concerned, even to Jane,who had the discretion to recover instead ............