the loft. "Now," she said, "I can see what I'm at, an' I shan't be a
minute."

The steel scissors struck coldly against Lilac's forehead. It was too
late to resist now. She held her breath. Grind, grind, snip! they went
in Agnetta's remorseless fingers, and some soft waving lengths of hair
fell on the ground. It certainly did not take long; after a few more
short clips and snips Agnetta had finished, and there stood Lilac
fashionably shorn, with the poor discarded locks lying at her feet.

It was curious to see how much Agnetta's handiwork had altered her
cousin's face. Lilac's forehead was prettily shaped, and though she had
worn her hair "scrattled" off it, there were little waving rings and
bits which were too short to be "scrattled", and these had softened its
outline. But now the pure white forehead was covered by a lump of hair
which came straight across the middle of it, and the small features
below looked insignificant. The expression of intelligent modesty which
had made Lilac look different from other girls had gone; she was just an
ordinary pale-faced little person with a fringe.

"There!" exclaimed Agnetta triumphantly as she drew a small hand-glass
from her pocket; "now you'll see as how I was right. You won't hardly
know yerself."

Lilac took it, longing yet fearing to see herself. From the surface of
the glass a stranger seemed to return her glance--someone she had never
seen before, with quite a different look in her eyes. Certainly she was
altered. Was it for the better? She did not know, and before she could
tell she must get more used to this new Lilac White. At present she had
more fear than admiration for her.

"Clump! clump!" came the sound of heavy feet up the loft ladder. Lilac
let the glass fall at her side, and turned a terrified gaze on Agnetta.

"Oh, what's that?" she cried. "Let me hide--don't let anyone see me!"

Agnetta burst into a loud laugh.

"Well, you _are_ a ninny, Lilac White. Are you goin' to hide from
everyone now you've got a fringe? You as are goin' to have your picture
took. An' after all," she added, as a face and shoulders appeared at
the top of the ladder. "It's only Peter."

Peter's rough head and blunt, uncouth features were framed by the square
opening in the floor of the loft. There they remained motionless, for
the sight of Agnetta and Lilac where he had been prepared to find only
hay and straw brought him to a standstill. His face and th