ttle shabby, aren't they, dear?"

"H'm," said Meg, colouring.

"And Mr. James Graham always comes back on that boat, and the two
Courtney boys--Andrew Courtney told Beatrice he thought you seemed
a nice little thing; he often notices you, he says, because you
blush so."

"I can't help it," Meg said, unhappily. "Aldith, how ought the
ribbon to go on my hat? I'm going to retrim it again."

"Oh, square bows, somewhat stiff, and well at the side," the oracle,
said. "I'm glad you're going to, dear, it looked just a wee bit
dowdy, didn't it?" Meg coloured again.

"Have you done your French?" she said, as she pulled open the
gate.

"In a way," Aldith said carelessly. Then she put up her chin,
"Those frowzy-looking Smiths always make a point of having no
mistakes; and, Janet Green, whose hats are always four seasons
behind the fashions; I prefer to have a few errors, just to show
I haven't to work hard and be a teacher after I--"

But just here she stumbled and fell down her full length in a most
undignified manner, right across the muddy sidewalk.

It was a piece of string and Baby's vengeance.

CHAPTER VII

"What Say You to Falling in Love?"

Meg was looking ill, there was no doubt about it. Her pretty
pink-and-white complexion was losing its fresh look, a slightly
irritable expression had settled round a mouth that a few months
back had seemed made for smiles only. And terribly unromantic
fact, her nose was quite florid-looking at times. Now a heroine
may have the largest, deepest, and most heavily lashed eyes
imaginable; she may have hair in very truth like the gold "mown
from a harvest's middle floor"; she may have lips like cherries
and teeth like pearls, and a red nose will be so utterly fatal
that all these other charms will pass unnoticed. It cost Meg real
anguish of spirit. She carefully read all the Answers to Correspondents
in the various papers Aldith lent her in search of a remedy, but
nearly everyone seemed to be asking for recipes to promote the
growth of the eyelashes or to prevent _embonpoint_. Not one she
chanced on said, "A red nose in a girl is generally caused by
indigestion or tight-lacing." She asked Aldith to suggest something,
and that young person thought that vaseline and sulphur mixed
together, and spread over the afflicted member, would have the
desired effect. So every night Meg fastened her bedroom door
with a wedge of wood, keys being unknown luxuries at Misrul