Judith dared not say she wished she might, she dared not pity her, or look at her; she unfolded her poem and began to read:—

THE LAST APPLE.

I am a rosy-cheeked apple,

Left all alone on the tree,

And in the cold wind I am sighing,

‘Oh, what will become of me.’

Nettie nodded approval, and the poet read modestly on:—

They’ve picked my sisters and cousins,

But I was too little to see;

Now, they will be eaten at Christmas,