nes ordered a dress of the fine material and one of the
coarser. "Will you oblige me by laying the fine dress pattern aside for
a few days until I send for it?" she asked. "I will pay for both now
however." Then giving Miss Smithers' address for the other, she left the
store and was soon at Miss Smithers' door.

Everything was explained. How that Ruth never would think of herself,
and it was time some one should think for her, and then Agnes arranged
the time for having them made.

"When mine is cut so that it cannot possibly do for Ruth, I shall have
hers sent. I can hardly wait for the day," she said, with the delight of
a child. "Please cut my skirt before then, Miss Smithers, for Ruth will
think it coarse and insist upon my sending it back, unless it is cut.
But it will make up quite prettily, and in winter no one notices the
quality of your dress." Guy would have been amused at her business
capacity then, had he heard her.

Such a time as she had when she went home. Ruth could not understand why
the dress was sent to Miss Smithers', instead of there. "Just as like as
not you have been cheated," she remarked, "and then when the skirt is
cut there is no help for it. To be sure it will be an assistance to have
some of the cutting done."

Then came Miss Smithers and the dress. With assumed calmness Agnes
showed it to her sister, but not without many secret misgivings.

"There, isn't it pretty, Ruth?"

"Yes, very, but it is extremely coarse, Agnes. Why didn't you get a
_good_ dress? You have enough second-best ones for this winter."

"This will answer nicely now, I like it. Besides, I did not want to
spend all my money on a dress."

"Well, if you like it, and as long as it is cut, there is no use in
making you dislike it. It is all well enough if it were not such a poor
quality."

Late in the afternoon, when there was little more to be done by the
sisters, the rest being Miss Smithers' special work, Agnes asked Ruth if
she could spare Martha to go on an errand for her. Handing her a note
and telling her to take it to the address and wait for an answer, Agnes
sat down to await the _denouement_.

"O dear, I wish it was over," she thought. "I am almost afraid to show
it to her. I feel as badly as if I had done something wrong. Is it ever
right to deceive? Of course this does not harm any one, and I did not
see any other way in which I could manage it; but after all it was
taking advantage of Ruth, and it may gi