"Moses knew it was of no use for him to wait any longer; so he came out laughing.
"'Why, what were you doing, my dear?' asked the lady.
"'I was hiding,' said the boy."
"O, that was a naughty lie!" exclaimed Frankie.
"Yes, dear, when children do one naughty thing, they almost always do another. Moses had stolen his mother's orange, and now he told a lie to hide it. His mother did not think he would act so wickedly. She asked, 'Do you remember, Moses, this is your birthday.'
"'Yes, mamma.'
"'You have a very pleasant day for your party,' said his father; and then Moses began to talk about what he should play when his company came. 'Shall you have the supper first?' he asked.
"'No, my dear. I shall wait until you have played a while.'
"After breakfast the lady swept and dusted the parlors, to have them ready for the party. Then she sat down to her sewing, while she heard Moses read and spell. After this he went out doors to play with his hoop.
"In the middle of the afternoon she began to arrange for her little feast. First, she took the nut-cracker and cracked the large walnuts, the almonds, and the filberts, and put them in the glass dishes ready to set them on the table. Then she cut the cake into square pieces, and grated sugar over them. After that, she put the figs into plates, and then brought out the basket of oranges.