"I can't imagine," said Lawrence, "that your aunt would ever think of such a thing as doing me a harm, or how those little shoes would prevent her, if she wanted to, but I suppose Aunt Patsy is crack-brained on some subjects, and so I thought it best to humor her, and took the shoes." "Do you know," said Miss Annie, after walking a little distance in silence, "that I am afraid Aunt Patsy has done a dreadful thing, and one I never should have suspected her of.

Aunt Keswick had a little baby once, and it died very young.

She keeps its clothes in a box, and I remember when I was a little girl that she once showed them to me, and told me I was to take the place of that little girl, and that frightened me dreadfully, because I thought that I would have to die, and have my clothes put in a box.

I recollect perfectly that there was a pair of little blue shoes among these clothes, and Aunt Patsy must have stolen them." "That surprises me," said Lawrence.

"I supposed, from what I had heard of the old woman, that she was perfectly honest." "So she is," said Annie.