22 A YEAR WITH NELLIE.

And there was that other time. Oh, if she
could only tell her about the cat! But that
was so long ago, and perhaps Miss Rayner had
quite forgotten the matter!

So in hesitating and shrinking the church
was reached, and the opportunity was gone.
And Nellie tried to satisfy her conscience by
praying that all her sins might be forgiven.

As she and Harry walked homewards she
was very quiet, thinking over the resolve she
had made, always to be perfectly sincere for
the future. She would be quite open, and—

“Sissy,’said Harry, interrupting herthoughts
and pulling her sideways, “do let’s just see if
the pond will bear.”

She looked at the frozen sheet of water they
were passing, and stopped.

“No,” she said slowly, “I think perhaps we
had better not.”

“ Do, do, do let’s,” cried the little fellow, who
was quick enough to see that her “ No” was a
very undecided one.

She shook her head slowly, but let herself
be drawn to the pond’s edge. Harry picked
up a large stone and threw it, watching as it
skimmed over the surface to the farther side.