Did she give it to you at the
first asking, hey?"
"Now, Vesta!" remonstrated Miss Rejoice, gently.
"Well, I want to know," persisted the elder sister.
Melody laughed softly. "Not quite the first asking," she said. "She
wanted to know if I thought she had no nose of her own. 'I didn't mean
that,' said I; 'but I thought perhaps you wouldn't care for it quite
as much as Aunt Joy would.' And when she asked why, I said, 'You don't
sound as if you would.' Was that rude, Aunt Vesta?"
"Humph!" said Miss Vesta, smiling grimly. "I don't know whether it was
exactly polite, but Martha Penny wouldn't know the difference."
The child looked distressed, and so did Miss Rejoice.
"I am sorry," said Melody. "But then Mrs. Penny said something so
funny. 'Well, gaffle onto it! I s'pose you're one of them kind as must
always have what they want in this world. Gaffle onto your rose, and
go 'long! Guess I might be sick enough before anybody 'ud get roses
for me!' So I told her I would bring her a whole bunch of our white
ones as soon as they were out, and told her how I always tried to get
the first cinnamon-rose for Aunt Joy. She said, 'She ain't your aunt,
nor mine either.' But she spoke kinder, and didn't seem cross any
more; so I took the rose, and here it is.
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