A l3Merry ..: 21

Clara Lee, who had been too busily reading
to say anything before.
 I'll tell you what I mean to do, go down
into the hall and have a good skip till tea time;
it does not want much more than half an
hour to that, and it will do me good, warm
me, and make me forget the disagreeable
weather. Won't you come too ?"
 "I don't care for skipping; but if Grace
goes, I will, it would be better than staying
up here by myself."
 "Ah, that's right! I can find you some
skipping ropes."
 Accordingly, off they went, and Edith very
soon recovered her equanimity, and found
that skipping was pleasanter than she fancied.
A merry time they had, and rosy and warm
they looked when they went into tea.
 Miss Campbell was called out in the midst
of the meal for a few moments, but she made
no remark on her return; and though the
Hamiltons were anxiously looking forward to
news from home, and half hoped it was about
them that she had been summoned, still they
asked no questions, sure that their basket had
not yet arrived. Clara was in a very merry
mood. She had a book with some prints in
it which were not of first-rate character. She