Stella looked very crestfallen and disappointed. She glanced around the somewhat shabby room, and sighed; then the shadow passed from her face, and she smiled brightly.
"Never mind!" she cried. "I don't suppose you would be happier in a grand room with new furniture, would you? I think Sarah must have been right, for she said it did not matter if one was rich or poor so long as one's heart was in the right place!"
"What did she mean?" Mrs. Knight asked.
"I think she meant nothing mattered so long as people loved each other. Aunt Mary, I do love you."
"I hope you will love us all, Stella."
"Yes, but I don't know about the twins!"
[CHAPTER V]
A CRUEL JOKE
IT was Saturday, and, alas! a wet Saturday. The rain fell incessantly, and there was no break anywhere in the leaden sky. The twins were alone in the school-room, grumbling and squabbling by turns. They were not usually ill-tempered boys, but the dull November day was depressing, and they were at their wits' end for amusement.
"What shall we do?" asked George at length, looking disconsolately around the room. "Where are the girls, I wonder?"