Nelly met with only one more serious trouble this year; and that came through her old friend Kitty Brown. Kitty had been for a time rather shy of Nelly. She had formerly found it very pleasant to have some one to patronize; and she could not help feeling rather aggrieved that Nelly had so soon mounted over her head, and was earning so much larger wages than herself. She forgot, as girls are apt to do, that she was receiving board as well as wages. She fancied that Nelly was "stuck up" and looked down upon her (which certainly was not the case); and in her own heart she magnified what she had done for her friend, and denounced Nelly's ingratitude in bitter terms. But as Nelly continued to treat her in exactly the same way as before, she by degrees dropped her coldness and stiffness, and returned to her former friendly manner. Mrs. Powers frequently sent her down town upon errands, and she fell into the habit of running into Mrs. Kirkland's store to gossip with Nelly and stare at the customers, thus wasting her own time as well as that of her friend.
These visits made Nelly very uneasy. She was glad to see Kitty, and glad to be friends with her again; but she did not think it a very good plan so far as Kitty was concerned, and she was pretty sure Mrs. Kirkland did not like it. Then, too, Kitty was somewhat inclined to take liberties. She had never been taught to look at things with her eyes and not with the ends of her fingers; and as she leaned upon the counter or occupied one of the stools, she was apt to take up articles and turn them over,—sometimes pretty roughly,—to open boxes, and even drawers. All these things annoyed Nelly greatly, and all the more that Kitty did not seem to have the least notion that she was doing any thing out of the way.
"Don't, Kitty," said she, one day, as Kitty slipped behind the counter. "Mrs. Kirkland does not like to have any one go behind the counter."
"I only just want to look at these pretty boxes," said Kitty, still keeping her place. "I wonder how much they cost?"
"They are three dollars apiece for the small ones. But please don't touch them, Kitty," she added, in an agony, as Kitty took one down. "There!" she exclaimed, hastily, as Kitty nearly let the box fall. "Please do come away."
"Just as though I should do any harm!" said Kitty, scornfully. "I am a great deal more used to handling nice things than you are. My! What a lovely doll! Does it open its eyes?"
"You must not touch the doll, Kitty," said Nelly, decidedly; "and you must not go behind the counter. Mrs. Kirkland said so."
"She is not here: so what harm will it do?"
"That is the very reason," said Nelly. "Mrs. Kirkland has left me in charge, and I am responsible," she added, with a touch of that stately pride which was as natural to her as if she had been indeed the high-born heiress of Kilmane Park. "I would no more do any thing wrong when she was away than when she was looking on: I would be even more careful."
"Oh, you are a great person, no doubt," said Kitty, scornfully; but as she spoke she hastily restored the doll to its place and came out from behind the counter, looking rather alarmed.