2. ait Je
le

ay) ¢

“ CARROTS.”

to tell them. I could not hide the sorrow in
my face from those two honest pairs of eyes,
for- one thing.”

“Well, you know best,” said her husband.

A sad telling it was, and the way in which
the children took it touched auntie’s loving
heart to the quick. They were so quiet and
“pitiful,” as little Sybil said. Floss’s face
grew white; for, with a child’s hasty rush at
conclusions, she fancied at first that auntie was.
paving the way for the worst news of all.

“Is mamma dead?” she whispered; and
auntie’s “Oh no, no, darling! Not so bad as.
that,” seemed to give her a sort of crumb of
hope, even before she had heard all.

And Carrots stood beside auntie’s knee, clasp-
ing his little mother Floss’s hand tight, and
looking up in auntie’s face with those wonder-
ful eyes of his, which auntie had said truly one
could not deceive ; and when he had been told
all there was to tell, he just said softly, “O poor
mamma! Auntie, she kissened us so many:
times!”