"Oh," said Minnie, looking up, "I never thought of that before!"

"What _are_ you doing?" exclaimed John, coming into the dining-room after school that morning, and bouncing down in a chair by his little sister's side.

"I'm----, but I shan't let you see, John," exclaimed Minnie, covering her little pink hands over her occupation.

Vainly, however; for she could not hide the large sheet of newspaper over which she leaned, nor the chips of red and blue paper which peeped out in every direction.

"_I_ see," said John, "here's an end of a matchbox, and here's a bit of yellow paper, and here's a star of red, cutout pretty well, Miss Minnie, and here's----"

"John, you are too bad," said Minnie, laying her head down as an extra protection. "I didn't want you to see till it's done, and I should have put it all away by one o'clock. I wish you had not come home so early."

[Ill.u.s.tration "'John, you are too bad,' said Minnie, laying her head down as an extra protection." _p. 180._]

Minnie spoke in a grumbling little tone, which made John inclined to tease her more than ever.

So he laid hold of one of the long golden curls which fell over the treasures, and went on while he twisted it round his fingers--

"And here's a pair of scissors, and here's the inside of the matchbox, and here's--why, here are at least a dozen babies!"

What with her hair being touched, which she particularly disliked, and what with her secret being found out, as she thought, Minnie burst into tears.

"Hey-day!" said John. "Why, Minnie, you goose, I wasn't really meaning to tease you. Look here, I'll sit still here for as long as you like, and shut my eyes up as close as a mole (if they do), while you put all that precious rubbish away; and what's more, I won't tell a soul about it; no, not if I--suffer for it."

Minnie looked up through her tears to see if John were in earnest, and found him sitting, as he said, with his eyes shut and his hands folded in front of him in a comical manner.

She gave a little laugh, and raised her head; but added, with the remains of a sob, "You're a _dreadful_ tease, John, and I did want n.o.body to know."

"n.o.body to know," echoed John, in a mock tone; "is that a pun?"

"You know it isn't; I don't try to make puns."

"Have you put away yet, Miss Dignity?"

"Nearly. Now, John, _have_ you guessed----?"

"Know everything," answered John, "just as well as I knew when I entered the room."

"How much is that?" asked Minnie.

"Everything," answered the boy. "Come, Minnie, my eyes ache with keeping shut so tight."

Minnie found it would be better to hurry her preparations than to answer the brother, who was for ever getting the best of her; so in a minute all was away, and John, with a sigh of profound relief, looked up.

Minnie left the room, and John walked to the comfortable fire and whistled.

It was not long, however, before a little step was heard on the stairs, and Minnie appeared again.

She was walking more slowly than usual, and her head was bent down, while her curls failed to hide the deep flush on her cheeks.

"John," she said slowly, "I am sorry I was cross about those boxes; I'll tell you all about it."

"I don't care to know, Minnie," said John, looking down on her; "it was only to tease you a little bit, but I didn't think you would really mind."

Minnie leaned her head against her brother's arm caressingly, and answered softly:

"I oughtn't to have minded; especially----"

"Especially what?" asked John kindly, guessing by his little sister's manner that she was very much in earnest.

"I was trying to do something for Him, you know, John, and it seemed so horrid of me to be vexed and cross over that."

"I understand," said John.

"I was making--but I will show you all about it."

Minnie went to the cupboard, and drew out the odds and ends which had attracted John's attention.

"See here," she said, spreading them out on the table, "I have been collecting all the matchboxes for months, and now I have bought these two dozen little china dolls, and Agnes gave me some white wadding; and I am going to cover the boxes with this paper, and put little ornaments at the bottom and top--so; and then--but here is one quite finished."

Minnie opened a bright little box, and there inside, on a bed of whitest, softest wool, a little china doll reposed, clothed in a wrapper of pink silk; under her head a little roll of wadding served as a pillow.

"Doesn't she look cosy?" asked Minnie, patting her complacently.

"And what's it for? How can it be for the Lord Jesus?"

"Why, don't you remember how we mended those toys before Christmas, and sent them to the children's ward of the hospital?"

John nodded.

"So that's just what I'm going to do now; here will be two dozen little presents, and it will make two dozen little children happy for a whole day, I shouldn't wonder."

"It is a very good thought," said John.

"And that's why I was sorry I'd been cross over _that_."

"Yes," answered John thoughtfully; "but I believe, Minnie, if we were more anxious to please Him, we should be far more careful than we are about _everything_. All that we do is really working for Him, and I do believe--I'm saying it to myself, and not to you, Minnie--that if we watched more, and realized His loving presence more, we should live very differently from what we do."

Minnie slowly shut up her boxes, and when John had finished speaking she said softly, "We must try more than ever."

"And get Him to help us more than ever," added John.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XXIII.