"Well, it’s no use taking any notice of it," said Mrs. Stubbs, stroking Sarah’s hand kindly, "but you’d better put a stop to it whenever you hear ’em at it, May. I only ’ope Tom won’t let his pa ’ear him. He’d be very angry, for Sarah’s pore ma, that’s dead and gone, was ’is favourite sister, and Pa’d never forgive a slight that was put on her little girl. It isn’t," said Mrs. Stubbs, warming to her subject, "any fault of Sarah’s that she’s left, at nine years old, without a father, or a mother, or a ’ome; and it’s no credit of any of yours that you’ve got a kind pa and ma, and a lux’r’ous ’ome, and a broom to ride about in. So, Sarah, my dear, don’t take no notice if they begin teasing you about anything. Remember, your ma was your uncle’s favourite sister, and that you was as welcome as flowers in May to him when I brought you ’ome." Sarah looked up. "I don’t mind anything, Auntie, dear," she said bravely, though her lips were trembling and her eyes were moist. "I’ll remember what you told me when we were coming--give and take." "That’s a brave little woman!" Mrs. Stubbs exclaimed. "Yes, you’d better go and choose some sweets, May. Perhaps it was a little ’ard on Flossie she should have to stop at ’ome, but I can’t do with more than three in the broom--it gets so ’ot and so stuffy. Perhaps, some day, your pa ’ll buy us an open carriage, and then I don’t mind ’ow many there are." May went out into the shop--for they had been sitting alone in an inner room--to choose the sweets, and Mrs. Stubbs continued her talk to Sarah. "I don’t ’old with telling, as a rule; I want my children to be better than tell-pies," she said; "but I am glad May told me of this. If anything goes wrong with you, you tell May about it, Sarah; she’s my right ’and; I don’t know what I should do without her." CHAPTER VIII FLOSSIE’S GRIEVANCES It was just as well that May had had sufficient forethought to provide herself with a bundle of sweets in the shape of a peace-offering for Flossie, for when they got in they found Flossie in anything but an amiable mood. And when Flossie was not in an amiable mood, she was anything but an agreeable young person. She was sitting in the schoolroom, staring sullenly out of the window and kicking impatiently against the window-board in a way which upset Miss Clark’s nerves until they could only be fairly described as "shattered." [Illustration: She was sitting in the schoolroom, staring sullenly out of the window.]