"You are going to hire out!" cried Edwin.
Aunt Sally began to cry. These tears were not the first she had shed on Katy's account.
"What for?" demanded Uncle Edwin. "You have a home. I told you we would send you to school. You need not even touch your money. What is this, Katy?"
"I want to earn my living, that is all." Katy's voice was dry and hard. "It is surely my right to earn my living if I want to!"
"Earn your living if you must!" said the squire, gruffly. "Of course you can earn your living if you want to. But go to school and learn to earn it right."
"I do not want to go to school."
The squire looked at her helplessly. Then he crossed the room and took her by the shoulders and seated her on the settle between Edwin and himself. He was a persuasive person; it was hard for any one to deny him what he commanded or what he requested.
"Katy, dear, are you in any trouble?"
Katy actually prayed for help in her prevarication.
"No."