"Oh, that's nothing," she said, "I had hold of the blind all the time. I couldn't fall."

"Now, Clematis, no child ever did such a thing before, and you must never, never, do it again. Do you understand?"

"Yes'm."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes'm."

"Well then, let's get ready for breakfast."

Clematis washed her face and hands, brushed her hair, and cleaned her teeth carefully.

Soon she was ready to go down stairs, and took one of the maple buds to put in her dress.

As they went out, Miss Rose saw that she wanted to say something.

"Do you want something?" she said.

"Can I help Katie this morning?"

"After breakfast I will ask Mrs. Snow, but breakfast is almost ready now."

Just then the breakfast bell rang, and Clematis marched in with the other children. She was thinking about Deborah, and wondering if she had caught any rats.

For breakfast they had baked apples, oatmeal with milk, and rye gems.

It did not take them long to eat this. Soon they were through, and ready for the morning work.

As they were getting up, Mrs. Snow came to speak to Miss Rose.

Clematis held her breath when she heard what was said.

"Perhaps this little girl would like to go down and play with her kitten a while. We can find some work for her by and by."

"Oh yes," said Clematis, "I would."

"Well, you can tell Katie I said you might. Be sure not to get in her way."

Off ran Clematis to the kitchen, to find her dear Deborah.

There she was, curled up like a little ball under the stove.

She looked with sleepy eyes at Clematis, and crawled down into her lap.

Then Clematis smoothed her and patted her, till she purred her very sweetest purr.

"Ah," said Katie. "It's a fine cat. It caught a big rat in the night, and brought it in, as proud as pie."

"Do you think they will let me keep her?" asked Clematis.

"Oh, I guess so. If she catches the rats, she will be welcome here.

You can be sure of that. I hate rats."

While Clematis and Deborah were having such a good time in the kitchen, Mrs. Snow took Miss Rose to her room.

"Well, Miss Rose, have you found out anything about that strange little child?"

"Not very much yet. She talks very little, and has had very little care."

"What makes you think so?"

"Why, the poor child didn't know what a tooth brush was for. She said she always left her clothes in a pile by the bed, because she could find them all in the morning."

Mrs. Snow sighed.

"Dear me, she will need much care, to teach her how to do things well. But I guess her folks will come for her before long."

"I don't know who her folks can be. She has never learned any prayers."

"Poor child, she must be a sad case." Mrs. Snow sighed again.

"But she is very fearless. This morning, before I went to her room, she had climbed out of the window and broken off a piece of the maple tree with buds on it."

"What, way up there at the roof?"

"Yes, she said that was nothing, for she had hold of the blind."

"What did she want the branch for?"

"She wanted it for the red buds. She broke them off and put them in her cup, like flowers."

"Well, Miss Rose, take her out to walk this afternoon, and ask her some questions. Perhaps you can find out where she lives."

CHAPTER V

CLEMATIS BEGINS TO LEARN

Clematis played with Deborah all the morning. She forgot about helping Katie, and when Katie asked her if she wanted to help her peel some potatoes, she said:

"I don't know how."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Didn't you ever peel potatoes?"]

"Didn't you ever peel potatoes?" asked Katie.