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NE day, when Milly was out in the garden amusing herself with the others, her mamma called her in, saying that she wished to speak to her. Milly guessed from the tone of her mamma's voice that something was the matter, so she went in rather slowly.

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Milly, what is the meaning of this?' began Mrs. Ellis; I have had a letter from your aunt Emily, which I will read to you, and you must explain then what I wish to know.' She read aloud :

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MY DEAR SISTER,-You will be glad to hear that Amy is better, and able to sit up. She has had the measles very lightly, I am glad to say, but she is in low spirits now. I wanted her little friend, Elsie Grant, to come and sit with her, as

she has had the measles, and is not afraid; but Amy says that she says very unkind things about her behind her back, so she does not want to see her. When Elsie came here to inquire for Amy I asked her, and she told me all that had passed between her and Milly, who, I am afraid, appears to have made mischief between the little friends, by repeating to each what the other had said, and, I must add, by exaggerating. I am sorry to worry you, dear, by making a fuss about it, but I do not wish Amy to lose her dear little friend Elsie for nothing at all; so I should be very much obliged to you if you would kindly inquire into it. With love, your affectionate sister,

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'Is this true, Milly?' asked Mrs. Ellis, as Milly did not speak, 'that you are really a mischiefmaker?'

Milly still did not answer, but hung her head and began to cry, which was what she generally did, when she had nothing to say.

'Come in with me, Milly,' continued her mamma. 'You must write a letter to your Aunt and tell her exactly all you said, and why you said it.' 'I can't remember,' sobbed Milly.

'Then you had better go to your room and think over it,' said Mrs. Ellis, ‘and in half an hour's time I will come and help you to write the letter.'

Milly went to her room in a very naughty mood, determined not to try to remember anything; so she took a fairy tale book out of her shelf, and lay down on her bed to read it. Presently nurse came into the room to fetch something, and when she saw Milly on the bed, she asked if she had a headache.

'No,' answered Milly, crossly.

'Well, I'm sure you needn't speak in that rude manner, Miss Milly,' said nurse.

'I am not rude,' replied Milly. Nurse left the room, as she did not care to be spoken to in that way by a little girl.

Milly soon heard her mamma coming up-stairs to her room, so she jumped off the bed and put back the book.

Her mamma found that she could not learn the truth from Milly in any other way, so she crossquestioned her, and at last found out how the mischief had been made. She then wrote herself to Mrs. Ferrar to explain it, and made Milly write as well, to say she was sorry for it.

When Milly went out again she could not find her sisters anywhere, so she went to the kitchen to gossip with the servants, which she was rather fond of doing. It was a shocking habit, and one for which, if her mamma had known of it, she would have been seriously displeased with her.

Milly had a grand opportunity here for making mischief, as one of the servants had just been reproved for some carelessness, so she was in a temper, and said several hasty things about her mistress, such as, that she was hard upon her, and that it was very unfair.

'I shall just give notice to leave. I don't want to be made a slave,' she added.

Milly put in her word, to say that her mamma seemed 'quite cross' that afternoon, for she had been punishing her for nothing.

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MMA RAY began to notice that Annie's manner to her was very different from what it used to be, and even Edith seemed altered, but Emma could not imagine the cause.

Milly's little speech to Annie had made Annie feel prejudiced against Emma; so she was always fancying that things Emma said or did were meant unkindly. The account given to her of Emma's misdeeds was so exaggerated, that they appeared great wrongs, and she treated her friend with coldness, in consequence. Then, by degrees, Annie confided her feelings to Edith. Edith could not remember that Emma had said anything to her about Annie being deceitful, so she determined to ask her.

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