had gathered leaves and berries till they were tired, when Ellen Bates said,-- "Let us choose a queen, and crown her." "What will you crown her with?" said Mary Green. "Oh, these bright leaves will do," said Nannie; "we can put them together by the stems." Now when it was first proposed to choose a queen, Belle thought, "They always choose the prettiest one for a queen--I know they will choose me;" so she said with great eagerness, "Oh yes, let us have a queen!" "Let us have Belle for our queen!" cried one of the girls. "Oh no, we want Nannie!" said two or three at once. "A crown of red leaves will look pretty with Nannie's red hair," said one of the girls, laughing. "I don't care," said another. "We all love her best, and I don't intend to crown anybody I don't like, if they _are_ pretty." Belle stood looking on with pretended indifference, for she did not want the girls should know how much she cared about it. "All that vote for Belle hold up a bunch of berries; and all that vote for Nannie hold up an oak leaf." The girls laughed, and held up their hands. There were six oak leaves, and only two bunches of berries. "I'd rather Belle would be queen," said Nannie, though it cost a little effort to say it; for she was as much pleased with the honour as any one. "But we had rather not," the girls said. "You cannot help yourself; so sit down while we make your crown." Belle was too proud to show her disappointment, so she sat down and helped to make the crown. Very pretty she looked as she sat on the mossy bank, while her hands worked in and out among the bright coloured leaves. A stranger looking at the two sisters, would have wondered why the girls had passed by Belle, and chosen the plain though pleasant-faced Nannie. So one would think that looked only on the outside; but could one have looked within, they would soon have understood the reason of the choice. After the crowning of the queen, which was performed with all due ceremony, the children went home, following Stony Brook till it poured its waters into the little river on which the village was built. After they reached home, Belle went upstairs, and sitting down by the window, gave free vent to the angry thoughts she had been keeping under all the afternoon.