Ould go. To-day she had taken it into her head to try the effect of a
few bows of blue ribbon upon her cherry-coloured straw hat, before the
breakfast things were washed or the sweeping and scrubbing done. But the
washing-up belonged to Betty. Outside in the garden Mrs. Bruce was
drawing Dorothea's attention to the scent of the violets and mignonette,
and her gay voice caused Betty to sigh heavily. "If my own mother had
lived," she said gloomily, "I too might gather flowers. But what am
I?--the family drudge!" Cyril entered the back door, his arms piled up
with firewood. "I'm getting sick of chopping wood," he said grumblingly,
"it's all very well to be you and stay in a nice cool kitchen. How'd you
like it if you had to be me and stay chopping in the hot sun? I know
what _I_ wish." "What?" asked Betty, glancing round her "nice cool
kitchen" without any appr
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