“O Auntie, I’m so glad you came,” said Susy, “for I didn’t see how I was ever going to finish my Christmas presents:  I go to school, you know, and it takes me all the rest of the time to slide!”

The children were busy making wonderful things “all secret;” or they would have been secret if Prudy hadn’t told.

For one thing, she wondered very much what Susy could be doing with four pins stuck in a spool.  She watched the nimble fingers as they passed the worsted thread over the pin-heads, making stitches as fast as Susy could wink.

“It looks like a tiny snake all sticked through the hole in the spool,” said Prudy, eager with curiosity.  “If you ain’t a-goin’ to speak, I don’t know what I shall do, Susy Parlin!”

When poor Susy could not pretend any longer not to hear, she answered Prudy, half vexed, half laughing, “O, dear, I s’pose you’ll tease and tease till you find out.  Won’t you never say a word to anybody, never?”

“Never in my world,” replied the little one, with a solemn shake of her head.

“Well, it’s a lamp-mat for auntie.  It’s going to be blue, and red, and all colors; and when it’s done, mother’ll sew it into a round, and put fringe on:  won’t it be splendid?  But remember, you promised not to tell!”

Now, the very next time Prudy sat in her auntie’s lap she whispered in her ear,—­

“You don’t know what we’re making for you, all secret, out of worsted, and I shan’t tell!”

“Mittens?” said aunt Madge, kissing Prudy’s lips, which were pressed together over her sweet little secret like a pair of sugar-tongs clinching a lump of sugar.

“Mittens?  No, indeed!  Better’n that!  There’ll be fringe all over it; it’s in a round; it’s to put something on,—­to put the lamp on!”

“Not a lamp-mat, of course?”

“Why, yes it is!  O, there, now you’ve been and guessed all in a minute!  Susy’s gone an’ told!  I didn’t s’pose she’d tell.  I wouldn’t for nothin’ in my world!”

Was it strange that Susy felt vexed when she found that her nice little surprise was all spoiled?

“Try to be patient,” said Mrs. Parlin, gently.  “Remember how young and thoughtless your sister is.  She never means any harm.”

“O, but, mamma,” replied Susy, “she keeps me being patient all the whole time, and it’s hard work.”

So Susy, in her vexation, said to Prudy, rather sternly, “You little naughty thing, to go and tell when you promised not to!  You’re almost as bad as Dotty.  What makes you act so?”

“Why, Susy,” said the child, looking up through her tears, “have I acted?  I didn’t know I’d acted!  If you loved me, you wouldn’t look that way to me.  You wrinkle up your face just like Nanny when she says she’ll shake the naughty out of me, Miss Prudy.”

Then what could Susy do but forgive the sweet sister, who kissed her so coaxingly, and looked as innocent as a poor little kitty that has been stealing cream without knowing it is a sin?