22 THE BOY FROM GREEN GINGER LAND

\Vily Aunt Grace! That little gold watch which had been given her by her mother was the pride and joy of Emmeline’s heart. Nothing so delighted her as to be asked the time. She gave the required information with the utmost graciousness ; the dining-room clock was exactly three minutes slow, it seemed, by the right time. Aunt Grace actually left her seat then and there and went to the mantelpiece to move on the minute-hand three spaces, and Emmeline began to wonder whether a person who cared so much about the right time, and showed such a proper amount of faith in her gold watch, could be so very worldly after all !

The children and Aunt Grace were just setting out for an exploring expedition in the wood after dinner when Emmeline suddenly felt Micky, who was walking by her side a little behind the others, press a hot, sticky coin into her hand.

‘Why, what is it?’ she asked, with a wonder which did not grow less when she discovered ‘that it was a penny.

‘ It's to make up for making that face,’ said Micky, who had grown very red. ‘It was beastly rude of me, but for the moment I had quite for- gotten about you being a girl.’

‘Micky darling,’ said Emmeline, so much touched and ashamed that the tears quite came into her eyes this time, ‘ l really can't take your