"No!" more shortly still; then, after a pause, "I ’ope you’ll be a good gal, Sarah, and remember, though your father and me wasn’t friends, yet, as long as I’ve a ’ome to call my own, you’re welcome to a shelter in it. Your mother was my favourite sister, and though she turned ’er back on me, I’ll never do that on you, never." "Father knows better now, Uncle," said the child, with an effort; "he knows how good you and Auntie are to me. You’d be friends now, wouldn’t you?" earnestly. "I don’t know--I don’t know at all," replied Mr. Stubbs shortly; then, struck by the pleading look on the child’s wistful face, added gruffly, "I suppose we should; any way, I hope so." At this point Mrs. Stubbs broke in,-- "Any way, it’s no fault of Sarah’s that we wasn’t all the very best of friends, Stubbs; and Sarah and me’s real fond of one another already, aren’t we, Sarah? So say no more about it; what’s past and gone is beyond ’elp. Flossie, you can take Sarah upstairs now. It’s just six--time for your tea. Be sure she gets a good tea." CHAPTER V A TASTE OF THE FUTURE Thus bidden, Flossie took Sarah’s hand and led her upstairs. "You won’t like Miss Clark," she remarked, as they went. "We don’t like her, not any of us. She’s so mean; always telling tales about somebody. She got Johnnie slapped and sent off to bed last night; it was all spite--nasty old thing!" "Who is Miss Clark?" Sarah asked, feeling rather bewildered. "Miss Clark! What! didn’t Ma tell you about her?" ejaculated Miss Flossie, in surprise. "No; Auntie never told me about her at all." "Lor! There, that shows Ma herself don’t think much of her! I’ll tell Miss Clark, any way." "Don’t, don’t!" Sarah cried, in an agony. "Yes, I shall," the amiable Flossie returned, suddenly opening a door and dragging her cousin into the midst of a noisy crew, all squabbling round a tea-table. "Miss Clark, what d’you think? Ma actually never told Sarah a single word about you!" "Well, my dear, never mind; perhaps Mrs. Stubbs didn’t say very much about any of us." "She didn’t," put in Sarah hastily. "I suppose this is Sarah?" Miss Clark went on. "Yes," answered Flossie, adding, under her breath to Johnnie, "Stupid little thing!" "How do you do, Sarah?" asked the governess, with the air of primness which had made her unruly young pupils dislike her. "I hope we shall be very good friends, and that you will do your best to be a very tidy and industrious little girl." This rather took Sarah’s breath away, but she replied, politely, that she would try her best. "Come and sit by me, Sarah," said May, with a very condescending air of protection. "Yes, sit by May," added Miss Clark. "May is my right hand; without May I could not endure all the worry and trial of the others. Copy May, and you will be quite right."