Mother took them into the warm kitchen and asked what the matter was, but Dora did not know, and Lucy could not tell. She sobbed and held out the note. Mother read it. Lucy cried harder than ever and so did Dora. For a minute Mother did not say anything at all. Then she told Dora to stop crying and told Lucy to go and wash her face. When Lucy came out of the bathroom, Mother sat down in the rocker and took her in her arms. She told Dora to go into the parlor and work on the cushion for Olive. Dora sewed until it began to grow dark, which was soon, because they had been so late coming from school. Mother never allowed her or Lucy to light the lamp on the table, so she looked out of the window and wished she could do something for Lucy. After a time, she heard Lucy going up to their room and then Mother opened the door into the parlor. Dora ran to her at once. “Please tell me, Mother,” she asked, with her arms about Mother’s waist. Mrs. Merrill sat down and took Dora on her lap. “Lucy has done something very wrong,” she said. “She didn’t know how to do a problem in number-work, so she kept her book open under her desk and copied from it.” “But she is _very_ sorry,” said Dora, and the tears came into her eyes. “Yes,” said Mrs. Merrill. “She is so sorry that we will not say anything more to her about it. But you will never do it, will you, Dora?” “No, Mother,” said Dora earnestly. “But I don’t need to, you see. I like number-work and the problems are easy for me.” “I mean in anything,” said Mrs. Merrill. “It never does any good to cheat in this world, and it hurts only the one who does it.” “I won’t, in anything,” said Dora. “May I go and tell Lucy that I love her and that we aren’t going to say anything about it?” “Yes,” said Mrs. Merrill. “I told Lucy to lie down for a little while because she has cried so much that her head aches. It is her turn to help me get supper to-night, but if you want to, you may do it for her.” Dora was glad to do this. She ran up-stairs and kissed Lucy and whispered in her ear, and then half-way down the stairs, she ran back and took the Chinese kitten out of the pink box where Arcturus used to live. She tucked it into Lucy’s hand. “Vega is very comforting to hold,” she said. “When you come down to supper, please put her back in her pink box.” Just then, Lucy didn’t think she should want any supper, but Dora and the kitten made her feel better, to say nothing of the talk with Mother. When Dora called, she put Vega away and came down. Mother had told Father and Uncle Dan not to speak of Lucy’s red eyes, and they did not. Only, after supper, Father took her on his knee and talked to her a little while. That night, after she and Dora were in bed, Lucy rolled over and cuddled close to Dora.