Soothed by her sympathetic words, Debby almost forgot her troubles, and sat watching the moving picture with great amusement, until she espied her brothers helping Mr. Williams pass the saucers of cream. "Oh, I hope they wont be tempted to _take_ any," she thought, her heart full of a wordless prayer for them. But her anxiety was soon relieved by seeing Sam forcing his way toward her with a plate of cream. "He gave it to me for helping," he whispered; "but you take it. Jim ate his right up." "Eat it yourself, Sammy," she said, drawing back the hand she had stretched out for it. "I don't care so _very_ much about it, because I am older, you know." "Don't you, now, 'truly, truly, black and bluely, lay me down and cut me in twoly?'" he asked, with the air of a magistrate about to "swear" a witness. "I would very much rather you should eat it," evaded Debby. "Then I will," he answered, brightly, "for I _do_ want it awfully." "Eat it, then; but don't be tempted to take any," she cautioned. "Catch me taking--I'm not a thief!" and he hastened away. Debby was thirteen years old, but she could have cried for that ice-cream. "Oh, _here_ you are at last!" cried Annie, running up to her a few minutes afterward. "I couldn't imagine where you had got to. Now, just read my letter," placing a tiny sheet of pink paper in her hand. "That box all trimmed up at the end of the candy-table is the post-office," she explained, "and we give them five cents and ask for a letter. Just read mine." Debby read, written in a large, clear hand: "And shouldst thou ask my judgment of that which hath most profit in the world, For answer take thou this: The prudent penning of a letter." "It's lovely!" was Debby's comment. "If I should have one, I wonder what it would be!" "I'll run and get you one," volunteered Annie. "No, no!" cried Debby, in terror. "I have no money to pay for it." "Have you spent it all so soon?" asked Annie, curiously. "But we must go now and get our ice-cream; for, do you know, Mr. James has promised to treat all our class. So come along, for the more we eat the richer the church will grow." "No," refused Debby, shaking off Annie's hand, "I wont do any such thing," and she shrank back into her corner. "How queerly you act! You wont do anything I ask you," pouted Annie, turning away. "I couldn't take it," Debby excused to herself. "I want it so much that I'd feel like a beggar in taking it from him. Annie can't understand, because she has bought it for herself, and will only eat it now for fun. I wish there was something for me to do." Her thought was scarcely finished before it was answered by Mrs. White, in the handsome alpaca Debby's mother so admired. "What am I to do with this child?" she asked, stopping before Mrs. Williams with a sleeping baby in her arms. "Phil wants me to go to supper with him, but what can I do?" "I'll hold her," said Debby, eagerly. "I have a nice quiet place here."