"Naughty Maddie," she said, "you're not to scold poor Harvey; I don't like you, Maddie. Go away; I'll tell mamma." Madelene glanced at the little girl, opened her lips as if to speak, but closed them again. "If she is kind to Ella it is a good thing, I suppose, and perhaps I should not have said anything before the child," was the reflection that rapidly passed through her mind. "You don't understand, Ella dear," she said quietly, and with unusual self-control, though her fair face coloured a little. "I am very glad that you don't like Harvey to be scolded." And without saying more, she left the room. "`Scolded' indeed, by a upsetting piece of goods like her. Very fine, Miss Madelene, but you're not mistress yet, nor never shall be to _me_, I can promise you," muttered Harvey. But Ella was clinging to her. "You must read to me now," the child urged. "I'm very good to you, Harvey. I wouldn't let sister Maddie scold you, so you should be nice to me." A slight and not pleasant smile crossed the maid's face. "Come along then, Miss Ella," she said. "If you'll be very good and not worrit-worrit if I'm out of your sight for half a minute, I'll read to you for a little. What is it you want?" She seated herself comfortably in a rocking chair by the fire, and took the child on her knee. "Here now," she said, carelessly picking up the first picture book that came to hand, "I'll read you some of these nursery rhymes--`Little Boy Blue.'" "No," said Ella crossly, "I don't like singy stories. Read me real ones. `Laddin's' very nice." But Harvey's eyes had caught sight of another of the bright-coloured books. "Oh, no," she exclaimed, with a little malicious laugh, "we'll have `Cinderella,' Miss Ella. `Cinderella, Miss Ella,' there's a rhyme for you! It's like your name, and she's like you too. She had two big sisters, and her mamma was--" Here she coughed and stopped short. "Her mamma was dead. I know the story," put in Ella, "_my_ mamma isn't dead, so it isn't like me. You're talking nonsense, Harvey," and she pushed the book aside and began to wriggle about impatiently. "I'm not talking nonsense," said Harvey sharply. "Just listen now, Miss Ella. Cinderella had two big sisters, and they were very cross to her-- at least not always perhaps, but pretty often, and they'd come and scold for nothing at all." "Like Maddie this morning," said Ella; "but it wasn't me she scolded. It was you. The story isn't like me; you're very silly, Harvey." Harvey began to lose her temper; she was not going to be called "silly" even by a baby.