All these things make me unhappy, Mary.

My darling, tell me what it is." Mary listened with great amazement to this catalogue of crimes.

At the time of their commission she had never even thought of them, although she was vexed with herself when she saw one eye--for in verity that was all--of a potato upon her father's plate.

Now she blushed when she heard of the buttons of her frock--which was only done because of tightness, and showed how long she must have worn it; but as to the double thread, she was sure that nothing of that sort could have happened.
"Why, mother dear," she said, quite softly, coming up in her coaxing way, which nobody could resist, because it was true and gentle lovingness, "you know a hundred times more than I do.

I have never known of any of the sad mistakes you speak of, except about the potato-eye, and then I had a round-pointed knife.