robes and high officers of the court and of the army, resplendent

'Busy bee!' cried the child, scandalized.

By wonderful blunders, and ingenious halts, he drew her into prompting him throughout, then exclaimed, 'There! you know it much better. I thought you were a clever little girl! Come, won't you say it once, and let me hear how well it sounds?'

She was actually flattered into repeating it perfectly.

'Very well. That's right. Now, don't you think you had better tell Miss Martindale you are sorry to have kept her all this time?'

She hung her head, and Theodora tried to give him a hint that the apology was by no means desired; but without regarding this, he continued, 'Do you know I am come from Turkey, and there are plenty of ladies there, who go out to walk with a sack over their heads, but I never saw one of them sit on a tombstone to hear a little girl say the Busy Bee. Should you like to live there?'

'Do you suppose Miss Martindale liked to sit among the nettles on old Farmer Middleton's tombstone?'

'Why did she do it then? Was it to plague you?'

'Cause I wouldn't say my hymn.'