Agnes glanced up, and reminded Minnie of her own work; but she was too busy in conjecturing what Hugh was about to heed. He laid the piece out on the table, folded it in half, and proceeded to thread himself a needle. "Are you going to _work_, Hugh?" asked the never-satisfied little maiden. Hugh nodded, nowise disconcerted at her surprised tone, and soon he had begun to sew up the sides, clumsily enough perhaps, but still effectually. Minnie found work was to be "the order of the day," so she relapsed into silence. After an hour's close application, during which time Minnie had watched with curious eyes John's hand diving in and out of the rag-bag, Hugh pronounced his contribution done, and went over to his brother and asked him if his were ready. A whispered consultation ensued behind the cardboard box, and then there was some mysterious pushing and manoeuvring, which raised Minnie's expectation to the last extent. Her brothers, however, enjoyed keeping up the joke, and there was a fine laugh when they laid a neatly-finished cushion on the table in front of the inquisitive little girl. "What is in it?" she asked, pinching and pulling it about. "Only mother's woollen rags snipped up in tiny pieces," said Hugh. "You should not have told her," remarked John; "but I say, don't my fingers ache! and isn't there a blister on my thumb?" "Did you cut all that to-day?" "No, we have been at the snipping business all the week, off and on, and I declare old Mrs. Hales will not have a bad pillow after all." "Where is Alice?" said Hugh. "She is doing her part," answered Mrs. Headley; "this is a busy time for cook, and Alice is helping her to make the puddings." "When shall we go round, Agnes?" asked Minnie. "On Christmas Eve, mother thinks." "I wish it were here, then." "I do not, for we must finish all this heap of mending first." "You'll tell us who you give it to, Agnes, and all about your visits," said John, who loved a story as much as anyone. "It will make us 'good boys' when they are gone." "Oh, yes," answered Agnes. "Then we will wait patiently till then; and if you can think of anything we can help in, we are ready, mother, now it is holiday time." "I will consider it," she answered, "but while we plan to do something for those in need, let us remember, my dears, one thing." The faces were turned affectionately towards the mother, who so anxiously watched over her children, while she said gently, "It is not _only_ that we are to 'visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,' but we are 'to keep ourselves unspotted from the world.'" "That's almost harder than the other," said Hugh thoughtfully. "Except by 'looking off unto Jesus,'" said Mrs. Headley; "'I can do all things, through Christ which strengtheneth me.'" [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER VIII. _ONE INJUNCTION._