"Certainly not. It is true I may make it possible for those who could not otherwise afford it. I have spoken to her mother on the subject, and perhaps her mother can be helped by some of her relations; it would certainly be the making of Augusta." "You are wonderfully kind," I said. "What am I put into the world for except to help others?" "Is it true," I asked suddenly, and I laid my hand on her lap, "that you are very rich?" "Who told you that?" she said, the colour coming into her face. She looked at me in a distressed way. "Only I want to know." "All I can tell you in reply to your question is this: that whatever money God has given me is to be spent not on myself but for Him--for Him and for those whom I am privileged to help. I do not want to talk of riches, for it is impossible for a child like you, with your narrow experience, to understand that money is a great gift; it is a talent little understood by many; nevertheless, one of the most precious of all. Few who have money quite know how to spend it worthily." Alex, Charley, and Von Marlo bounded into the room. "We can skate, if you don't mind," said Charley, "on the round pond a mile from here. We didn't bring our skates with us, but there are jolly nice ones in Chelmsford. Do you mind?" he asked. "Certainly not, dear," said Mrs Grant; "and what is more, if there is good skating I am going myself. What do you say, Dumps? Do you know how to skate?" "No," I answered. "How could I? I never learnt." "Few girls can skate," said Charley. "This girl shall learn," said Mrs Grant. "Come, come, children; we'll go off as fast as ever we can, to get the best skates to be obtained." PART TWO, CHAPTER SIX. LEARNING TO SKATE. Certainly my step-mother was a patient teacher, and certainly also there were few more awkward girls than I, Rachel Grant, on that afternoon. The stumbles I made, the way I sprawled my legs, the many falls I had, notwithstanding my step-mother's care! Both Alex and Charley laughed immoderately. It was Von Marlo, however, who in the end came to the rescue. "Mrs Grant," he said, "you are dead-tired. I have been able to skate ever since I was able to walk. May I take Miss Dumps right round the pond? Will you trust her to me?" "Oh yes, do let him!" I said. My step-mother agreed, and a minute later she was flying away herself as though on wings, with Charley on one side of her and Alex on the other. Notwithstanding that she was a stout person, she looked very graceful on the ice. She could cut figures, and she set herself to teach the boys how to manage these exquisite and bird-like movements. Meanwhile Von Marlo and I skated away after a time with a certain amount of success. He was taller and stronger than my step-mother, and he taught me a Dutch way of managing the business; and after a time I was able to go forward with the help of his strong hand, and so the afternoon did not turn out so very disastrous after all.