d, sent the young lady along an inch or so, and Jenny and
Mary were at last fairly seated.

Mrs. Lincoln reddened,--Mrs. Campbell looked concerned,--Mrs. Mason
amused,--Rose angry,--Mary mortified,--while Ella, who was not quick
enough to understand, did not look at all except at her strawberries,
which disappeared rapidly. Then in order to attract attention, she
scraped her saucer as loudly as possible; but for once Mrs. Mason was
very obtuse, not even taking the hint when Mrs. Campbell removed a
portion of her own fruit to the plate of the pouting child, bidding
her "eat something besides berries."

After a time Mrs. Lincoln thought proper to break the silence which
she had preserved, and taking up her fork said, "You have been buying
some new silver, haven't you?"

"They were a present to me from my friend, Miss Martha Selden," was
Mrs. Mason's reply.

"Possible!" said Mrs. Campbell.

"Indeed!" said Mrs. Lincoln, and again closely examining the fork, she
continued, "Aunt Martha is really getting liberal in her old age. But
then I suppose she thinks Ida is provided for, and there'll be no
particular need of her money in that quarter."

"Provided for? How?" asked Mrs. Mason, and Mrs Lincoln answered, "Why
didn't you know that Mr. Selden's orphan nephew, George Moreland, had
come over from England to live with him? He is heir to a large
fortune, and it is said that both Mr. Selden and Aunt Martha are
straining every nerve to eventually bring about a match between George
and Ida."

There was no reason why Mary should blush at the mention of George
Moreland, still she did do so, while Jenny slyly stepped upon her
toes. But her embarrassment was unobserved, for what did she, a pauper
girl, know or care about one whose future destiny, and wife too, were
even then the subject of more than one scheming mother's speculations.
Mrs. Mason smiled, and said she thought it very much like child's
play, for if she remembered rightly Ida couldn't be more than thirteen
or fourteen.

"About that," returned Mrs. Lincoln; "but the young man is
older,--eighteen or nineteen, I think."

"No, mother," interrupted Jenny, who was as good at keeping ages as
some old women, "he isn't but seventeen."

"Really," rejoined Mrs. Campbell, "I wouldn't wonder if our little
Jenny had some designs on him herself, she is so anxious to make him
out young."

"Oh, fy," returned Jenny. "He can't begin with Billy Bender!"

Mrs. Lincoln frowned,