"Well, Hetty, I won't say but I'm glad to see you here again. I declare, child, we've missed you a good bit," Mrs. Hardy remarked, when the family reached home. "And how do you get on now?"
"Oh, I got on right well until yesterday. But I was dreadful yesterday, mother." And Hetty proceeded to give a full account of her misfortunes. "I thought they'd send me home at once; but they are so kind, and Miss Flo is such a darling, it would just break my heart to leave her now."
"Well, you needn't cry over it now, Hetty. I daresay you blubbered plenty at the time." At which there was a general laugh at Hetty's expense. "But if you want to stay, you'll have to mind yourself. They won't overlook many pranks like that. I wonder how they kept their hands off you, I declare."
"Oh, they're not that sort at all," answered Hetty. "I'd better be going now, maybe; but I couldn't be easy in my mind until I had told you this."
"You won't be expected until five o'clock. I settled that with your mistress. So sit down, and we'll have dinner. After dinner you can all go and have a walk if you like."
"And mother'll take her nap," said Dan.
"Well, I want it, Dan. I'm not so young as you, and I work very hard."
After dinner the young people all went up to the common, but Dan and Ned soon met some lads they knew, and deserted their sisters and the little ones. The children played about, and Matty and Hetty had a nice quiet talk. Hetty had much to tell, for the week spent with the Eyres had been such a new life that it seemed as if she had been away from home a month at least. Matty gave her lots of good advice, but she had such a gentle, kind way of advising, that no one was ever annoyed by it.
"You know, Hetty," she said, "you are a Christian—you believe in the Lord Jesus, and mean to serve Him. And you must mind what He says about eye service—and it is eye service when you forget what has been said to you the moment your mistress's eye is off you."
"But—I only wanted to please poor little Miss Flo."