PAYING THE RENT. 159

to pay his rent, for his lease was dated the first
of April, and his first quarter was now out.

“ Bessie, you must go with me, for I am
awkward and sheepish before strangers, and
you know the ways at Rose Lawn.”

She know the ways, to be sure !

Now it so happened that Bessie had never
set her foot within the doors of Mr. Cramer’s
house, but she had looked in at the windows
and sat in the piazza. So Bessie replied :

“ Oh yes, I will go with all my heart.”

Bessie filled the pretty basket, Ada had
given her, with honeysuckles, roses, and pan-
sies from her own garden, and with it on her
arm, trotted off with Tom, in high glee.

“You are carrying coals to Newcastle,”
said Tom.

“ What do you mean by that ?”

“ Newcastle, in England, is a place where
there are immense mines of coal. Wouldn’t it
be foolish to carry coals there, when they are so
plenty ?”

“ Certainly, it would.”

“Then you are doing the same thing—
carrying flowers to Ada Cramer from your