y carried her off to their play room. This was
the hall bedroom on the next floor. There was a small book case, a
sort of closet with glass doors where playthings were kept and one
shelf devoted to dolls. Marilla stood entranced before it.

"Have you many dolls?" asked May.

"I never had a doll since my mama died," and there were tears in the
child's voice.

"But at Christmas--didn't you ever get a doll?"

"I was in a home for orphan girls, Mrs. Johnson didn't think it was
right for girls to waste their time on dolls. One Christmas some store
sent such a beautiful lot and she returned them all. Some of us cried
and we had to learn a lot of bible verses about improving your time.
Occasionally a girl would get a clothes pin and tie the middle of her
handkerchief around the head, and play it was a baby, and lend it out,
then they would all get punished. I used to feel so sorry. Dolls are
so sweet if they are only make believe. Where I lived the babies had
rubber dolls that they could bang on the floor, but they were ugly.
This one is splendid."

"That is mine," said Edith. "One of our cousins brought it from Paris.
It can walk a little and say 'Mama.' I'm too big to play with dolls,
and I've given the others to May and Jessie."

"And we play tea with them. It is so lovely out on the back porch in
the summer and mother lets us take the things down there. And I can
make clothes," said May. "But now you can have a doll, because you are
going to have some money of your very own."

"Yes," she returned slowly.

There were many pretty things that Marilla wondered at. Edith took out
her doll and put it in the visitor's arms. It had such a lovely face
that Marilla hugged it up tight and wanted to kiss it. Why it was
fifty times sweeter than the twins.

Then they led her to their room. There were two pretty brass beds.

"Edith has the smaller one because she sleeps alone," explained May,
"and we little ones love to sleep together."

There were two chiffoniers, and a big closet between the rooms, two
pretty willow rockers and some lovely pictures beside various small
gifts one could hang up or stand around. How charming it was!

Edith said she must go and study her lessons. May brought out her
pretty dishes and her card albums. One was partly full of such pretty
kittens Marilla wanted to hug them. Another was Christmas, Easter and
birthday cards.

Marilla gave a soft little sigh. How many precious things she had
miss