Poor Rose!
"But I may play with the box? I must and will play with my nice new box; that you will let me do."
"No, Rose," said Mark, "I can let you play with it no more. You must come with me; I mean to send you out to find some cress, and then you must go and try to sell it. Come, I shall put you on this hat of old Bet's, and you must wear this old shawl, and you must tuck up your frock, and go out to find the cress."
"Oh dear! oh dear!" said Rose; "you do not mean that I should do this?"
"But I do mean it, and you must go at once."
Mark put on the hat and the shawl for her. She was quite still, and said not a word. Mark then took hold of her hand and led her to a field near the house, and told her she must not come back till she had got as much nice cress as would sell for two pence. He then shut the gate of the field, and left poor Rose by her self.
At first she did not move, so strange did it seem to her that she should be left thus.
Soon she sat down on a bank. When she had been there some time she got up.
"How queer this is!" said she; "but it is all fun:" yet the laugh with which she said this was soon a cry.
Rose was a girl not soon cast down; all that she had to do or to bear, she did her best to do and to bear it well. She took a walk up and down the field, and at last she thought, "Well, I might as well try and see if I can find some cress;" and then she ran up and down till she had got a great way from the house.