Produced by Lionel Sear Illustration: "Flowers, Ma'am? Tuppence and a penny a bunch." (Artist unattrib.) BETTER THAN PLAY. By MABEL QUILLER-COUCH. Author of "A waif and a Welcome," "Zach and Debby," "The Story of Jessie," etc. LONDON THE RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY 4 Bouverie Street and 65 St. Paul's Churchyard, E.C.4 CONTENTS. Chapter. I. WASHING DAY TEMPERS. II. HOW THE DAY ENDED. III. THE LITTLE HERB-BED. IV. SAGE BUSHES AND ROSE BUSHES. V. WHAT AUNT MAGGIE SUGGESTED. VI. FIRST CUSTOMERS. VII. WHAT LAY BEYOND THE MILESTONE. VIII. ROCKET'S HELP IS REQUIRED. IX. HOME AGAIN. X. CHRISTMAS. XI. A STEP FORWARD. XII. SUCCESS. CHAPTER I. WASHING DAY TEMPERS. Down at the Henders' cottage all was misery and discomfort; the house was full of bad temper, steam, and the smell of soap-suds. It was washing-day, and the children hated washing-day. For one thing, Aunt Emma was always very cross, and for another, they never knew what to do with themselves. They were not allowed indoors, for they "choked up the place," she said, "and there wasn't room to move,"; so they had to stay outside; but they must make no noise, for she could not bear it, and they must not wander away to play, for they might be wanted at any minute, to run an errand, or chop up a few sticks. Bella, too, the eldest of them all, was needed every now and again to hang a few things on the bushes; but that was all the break they had in the weary day. Bella often wished her aunt would let her do more to help her. She was sure she could, and it would have been ever so much more pleasant than standing around seeing everything go wrong, yet doing nothing. Her aunt was always scolding her for being idle, and grumbling at the amount of work she herself had to do; yet, if Bella attempted to help in any way, there was a great to-do, and her aunt grew so angry about it that Bella soon gave up attempting. It grieved her dreadfully, though. The home had been so different when her mother was alive, so neat and pretty, and all of them so happy. There had rarely been any scolding, and certainly there was never any grumbling about the work. "Why, work is pleasure, if you take it in the right spirit," Mrs. Hender used to say, cheerfully; "it means life and happiness--but everything depends, of course, on the spirit in which you take it."