26 BE TRUE.

forsaken me,” the little girl would
say ; “I can almost hear her voice as
in other days.”

Laura was getting to be quite a
capable little house-keeper for her
father. And that father! how much
he thought of Laura—so like her
mother, so true! “I could trust her
with the wealth of the Indies,” he
would say; “I would take Laura’s
word against a thousand.” And so
thought the neighbors.

“Laura, my dear,” said Mr. Win-
gate, one evening, as he sat down by
the clean hearth and glowing fire,
“do you remember that splendid
shop which you admired so much
the last time we were at P——?”

“OQ yes!” replied the little girl,
smiling faintly; “I remember how
dear mother reasoned me out of buy-