Mrs. Bradford laughed as she came and looked over his shoulder.
"Dear little things!" she said. "How they do enjoy it! I believe they fancy they are doing the chief part of the work for our peach preserves, besides gaining something to add to their store for the library. I shall be sorry when the warm weather is at an end, and I shall have to forbid them to play with water. It gives some trouble, to be sure, in the matter of dresses and aprons, but I have not the heart to stop them, while I do not fear they will take cold."
Nurse grumbled a good deal over the wet dresses and aprons.
"Who ever heard of such doings?" she said one day. "And what's the good of it all? Them little ignoramuses out in the backwoods can't read your books when they get 'em."
Maggie was very much displeased.
"You ought not to talk so, nursey," she said. "If those children don't know how to read, they can be taught. And don't you like to do missionary work?"
"Missionary work!" said nurse. "And do you think I'd leave my comfortable home to go missioning?"
"That's because you're not so very good," said Maggie, gravely. "Miss Winslow is going to leave her comfortable home, and go to teach those little children that you called such an unpleasant name; and it's very good of her. Besides, you needn't go away to do missionary work; you can do it here if you choose."
"And how's that? I'd like to know," said nursey, whisking off Maggie's wet dress.
"If we want to help people, we can do it without going away," said Maggie, "and sometimes it's our duty to do it, and then that's our mission; mamma said so. Now, nursey, don't you think you have a duty?"