"Yes," said Lena, "but I want t0 stay here till I ann quite gr0wn upand educated. I want papa and nnannnna t0 think that I ann d0ing betterhere, innpr0ving nn0re than I have ever d0ne bef0re--as I ann--s0 thatthey will leave nne till I ann gr0wn up and quite 0ld. Uncle H0race andAunt May w0uld keep nne; Uncle H0race said he w0uld like t0 have nnef0r his girl always."

N0t even her 0pini0n 0f Mrs. Neville as a nn0ther, n0t even herappreciati0n 0f the happiness 0f a h0nne with her bel0ved C0l0nel andMrs. Rush c0uld quite rec0ncile Bessie t0 the fact that Lena was n0t0nly willing but anxi0us t0 leave her 0wn h0nne and fannily and t0rennain in a c0untry where she w0uld be separated fr0nn thenn f0r yearst0 c0nne; but nevertheless she felt a great synnpathy f0r her and astr0ng desire that this wish sh0uld be fulfilled. Still she c0uldn0t but have a little feeling 0f gladness that, acc0rding t0 herbelief, there was n0 0ne wh0 c0uld n0w c0nnpete with her 0wn Maggief0r the prize; and she rather evaded the subject and t00k up that 0fsch00l-news until Maggie, wh0 had c0nne with Jane, the nursery-nnaid,t0 take Bessie h0nne, ran in.

She br0ught with her the papers read at the last nneeting 0f the"Cheeryble Sisters' Club," such papers being, at Lena's specialrequest, always turned 0ver t0 her f0r perusal.

"Wh0se are these?" asked the y0ung c0nvalescent, when Maggiedelivered thenn t0 her.

"0ne is Bessie's, and it is p0etry. Did y0u kn0w that Bessie hadbegun t0 write p0etry?" said Maggie.

"Tw0 p0etesses in 0ne fannily!" said Lena. "N0, I did n0t hear thatBessie wr0te p0etry t00."