THE POACHERS REVENGE. Ill 



day book. Now, Olive," continues the little lady, " have you 

 the parcel ? " 



" Daddy dear, this is a birthday present from your little 

 girls. Guess what it is ? " 



" Couldn't possibly." 



" Well, it's our pictures, 'niintures, Miss Pope says they 

 are. Mother got them done, you know, and she said we need 

 not pay for them. But it's our present just the same." 



" Thank you very much, my darlings," said Lord Middle- 

 ford, " they are capital." 



" We couldn't pay for them, you know," breaks in Olive, 

 " because of that poor woman ? " 



" Now, Olive. You know that is a secret," said her sister 



"What's this wonderful secret ?" asks Lord Middleford. 



" Oh, we couldn't possibly tell you, could we, Olive ? " 



" I think w^e might tell Daddy," returned the other. 



" Well, if you will promise not to tell anyone. Daddy, you 

 shall hear about it," said Marcia. And then with due 

 solemnity she began : " First of all you must know that Miss 

 Pope says that when we do good actions we should do them 

 as secretly as possible and not make a show of them so that 

 everyone may say how kind and charitable we are ; and that 

 is why we don't tell anyone." 



" Except you. Daddy," observes Olive. 



" Don't interrupt, Olive," says her sister severely. '' Well, 

 we found out a poor woman who was living in one of 

 those tumble-down cottages by the old water-mill, who has 

 been very ill indeed. She has a little girl, just as old as 

 Olive, who has been ill too, and they are so poor that they 

 can't buy food and things, so we take a basket of eatables — 

 soup, you know — every day. And," lowering her voice, " we 

 gave her all our money, when Miss Pope was not looking." 



" The sovereign that Lady Cordeaux gave us, and all our 

 pennies, too," said Olive, with conscious pride. 



