"But you do, Lizzie?" she said, addressing a girl of seven, whose bright red hair shone like a lamp in the gathering twilight. "Yes, you're my big sister; you've been away this year or more in service." "And you, Maggie, do you remember me too?" Maggie at first seemed doubtful, but after a moment's reflection she nodded her head vigorously. "Come, Esther, see how Julia is getting on," said Mrs. Saunders; "she makes her dogs nearly as fast as Jenny. She is still a bit careless in drawing the paper into the moulds. Well, just as I was speaking of it: 'ere's a dog with one shoulder just 'arf the size of the other." "Oh, mother, I'm sure nobody'd never know the difference." "Wouldn't know the difference! Just look at the hanimal! Is it natural? Sich carelessness I never seed." "Esther, just look at Julia's dog," cried Jenny, "'e 'asn't got no more than 'arf a shoulder. It's lucky mother saw it, for if the manager'd seen it he'd have found something wrong with I don't know 'ow many more, and docked us maybe a shilling or more on the week's work." Julia began to cry. "Jenny is always down on me. She is jealous just because mother said I worked as fast as she did. If her work was overhauled--" "There are all my dogs there on the right-hand side of the dresser--I always 'as the right for my dogs--and if you find one there with an uneven shoulder I'll--" "Jennie is so fat that she likes everything like 'erself; that's why she stuffs so much paper into her dogs." It was little Ethel speaking from her corner, and her explanation of the excellence of Jenny's dogs, given with stolid childish gravity in the interval of tearing a large sheet of brown paper, made them laugh. But in the midst of the laughter thought of her great trouble came upon Esther. Mrs. Saunders noticed this, and a look of pity came into her eyes, and to make an end of the unseemly gaiety she took Julia's dog and told her that it must be put into the mould again. She cut the skin away, and helped to force the stiff paper over the edge of the mould. "Now," she said, "it is a dog; both shoulders is equal, and if it was a real dog he could walk." "Oh, bother!" cried Jenny, "I shan't be able to finish my last dozen this evening. I 'ave no more buttons for the eyes, and the black pins that Julia is a-using of for her little one won't do for this size." "Won't they give yer any at the shop? I was counting on the money they would bring to finish the week with." "No, we can't get no buttons in the shop: that's 'ome work, they says; and even if they 'ad them they wouldn't let us put them in there. That's 'ome work they says to everything; they is a that disagreeable lot." "But 'aven't you got sixpence, mother? and I'll run and get them." "No, I've run short." "But," said Esther, "I'll give you sixpence to get your buttons with." "Yes, that's it; give us sixpence, and yer shall have it back to-morrow if you are 'ere. How long are yer up for? If not, we'll send it."