"Not at all, my dear. I hope you will get your lessons done as quickly as you can, and come and help with the work. There is plenty to do, I can assure you." Mabel took the pens and ink out of the way, but she secretly determined to clear a little corner of the table for herself the next day, where she could write her exercise without interfering with the work. The dressmaker would be there, but she would not mind. And Mabel carried out her intention, risking the spotting of her new dresses with ink rather than peril her dignity by sitting down to lessons with her younger sisters. She managed to get through her work without spilling a drop of ink. But just as she had finished, she was called away. And the dressmaker wanting the room occupied by her exercise-book, put it aside with the pen, but did not see the bottle of ink, and forgot to look for it. And when Mabel came back, she thought no more of it than the dressmaker did. —————— CHAPTER III. THE INKED DRESS. MABEL was willing enough to take her share of the home duties now, even to sitting down to sow under the direction of the dressmaker. But as she was turning over the things on the crowded table that afternoon in search of her thimble, she came upon the overturned ink-bottle, and exclaimed, "Who has done this? Who has had the ink here?" "You had it yourself, Miss Mabel," said the dressmaker. "No one else has used ink in this room." "But—but I put it away," she said, trying to remember whether she had done so. "I don't know, I'm sure, miss. I moved the book and pen because they were in my way, but I don't remember seeing the ink." While they were talking, Mabel was looking under the pile of work to see whether any mischief had been done, and now she saw with consternation, that her new claret merino dress had a large ink stain upon it. "Oh dear, what shall I do?" she said in affright, unfolding the roll of merino, and seeing that the large ink stain had soaked through fold after fold. The dressmaker looked scarcely less concerned. "What will your mamma say?" she exclaimed. "The dress is quite spoiled; it can never be made up as it is." Mabel burst into tears as she looked at her ruined dress. "Can nothing be done with it?" she said. "The ink is not quite dry. Don't you think we might get it out somehow?" But the dressmaker shook her head. And at this moment Mrs. Randolph herself came into the room. "What is the matter?" she asked, seeing Mabel in tears. But the next minute she saw the ink stains on the bright-coloured merino lying in her lap. "Oh dear, who has done that?" she exclaimed. "Well, it has just been lying on the table, ma'am," said the dressmaker, anxious to spare Mabel as much as she could. But both knew well enough how it had been done. And Mabel said through her tears, "I have been writing here, and must have left the ink on the table, and it got covered over with some of the things and upset."