ol of my age?"

"Because you think it is foolish," she answered, "and I suppose the
others don't."

"Why should you say that I think it foolish? At any rate, I'm glad to
see you looking so nice and happy."

"I don't know about being happy," said Margaret,--"or nice either for
the matter of that."

But there was a smile on her face as she spoke, and Sir John smiled
also when he saw it.

"Doesn't she look well in that bonnet?" said Mrs Mackenzie, turning
round to the side of the counter at which he was standing. "It was my
choice, and I absolutely made her wear it. If you knew the trouble I
had!"

"It is very pretty," said Sir John.

"Is it not? And are you not very much obliged to me? I'm sure
you ought to be, for nobody before has ever taken the trouble of
finding out what becomes her most. As for herself, she's much too
well-behaved a young woman to think of such vanities."

"Not at present, certainly," said Margaret.

"And why not at present? She looks on those lawyers and their work as
though there was something funereal about them. You ought to teach
her better, Sir John."

"All that will be over in a day or two now," said he.

"And then she will shake off her dowdiness and her gloom together,"
said Mrs Mackenzie. "Do you know I fancy she has a liking for pretty
things at heart as well as another woman."

"I hope she has," said he.

"Of course you do. What is a woman worth without it? Don't be angry,
Margaret, but I say a woman is worth nothing without it, and Sir
John will agree with me if he knows anything about the matter. But,
Margaret, why don't you make him buy something? He can't refuse you
if you ask him."

If Miss Mackenzie could thereby have provided for all the negro
soldiers' orphans in existence, I do not think that she could at that
moment have solicited him to make a purchase.

"Come, Sir John," continued Mrs Mackenzie, "you must buy something of
her. What do you say to this paper-knife?"

"How much does the paper-knife cost?" said he, still smiling. It was
a large, elaborate, and perhaps, I may say, unwieldy affair, with a
great elephant at the end of it.

"Oh! that is terribly dear," said Margaret, "it costs two pounds
ten."

Thereupon he put his hand into his pocket, and taking out his purse,
gave her a five-pound note.

"We never give change," said Mrs Mackenzie: "do we, Margaret?"

"I'll give him change," said Margaret.

"I'll be extravagant for once," said Sir John,