Sukie 



'' I really think, Sukie," said Mary, with 

 a little ring of offence in her voice, ''you 

 do not try to see the matter in a fair light. 

 Here are these poor boys, orphans ; they 

 have no home but this. It is perfectly 

 true, they are a little tax upon all of us, 

 but I think we ought to try and help each 

 other bear it ; besides, they have very good 

 hearts and will improve as they grow up." 



Mary, like a great many admirable 

 women who had been conscientiously strict 

 as elder sisters, was blindly indulgent as an 

 aunt, and continually surprised me by the 

 excuses she coined for the boys, whereby 

 they evaded chastisement. 



"Of course it makes a good deal of 

 difference when boys are orphans," I mur- 

 mured, as in duty bound, after Mary ; but 

 with little result. Sukie only pulled her 

 her lips in. 



"Orphans they may be," she broke 

 out again, '' and I'm sorry for it. May- 

 be I'm too old to live with orphans; 

 and I s'pose I am. As to improving, I 

 should think anybody could see as I shall 

 be driven into my grave long before they're 

 improved out of their plaguy, teasing 

 ways. No, I've tried it for Mrs. Hyde's 

 sake, and for the sake of Mr. William as 

 was, but it ain't no good ; not a bit, I can't 

 202 



