her the
dearest little room with white curtains at the window, a rug upon the
floor, a small cooking stove in one corner, a table, chairs, and all to
suit a little girl. Upon the shelves were ranged plates, cups, saucers
and dishes, and a cupboard in the corner looked as if it might hold
other necessary things for housekeeping. Moreover, her family of dolls
sat along in a row on the window-seat, looking as expectant as is the
nature of dolls to look.

"Well, Dot, how do you like it?" asked Mr. Dallas, smiling down at the
child whose color came and went in her fair little face.

"Oh, papa! Oh, papa! is it truly my house?" she asked, clasping him
closely.

"Yes, it is truly yours. I thought a rainy day house might help to keep
our little chicks out of mischief, because here they can peep as loud as
they choose and it will not disturb any one."

"You said it was for little chicks, and I never once thought you meant
us. Did you, Florence? It is lovely, lovely. Oh, papa, you are too
good."

"I think it is a matter of self-defence, for if you and Florence are so
ambitious as to take violent possession of your neighbors' houses, it
seemed to me there would be no end of complaints, and the best way to
prevent further housebreaking was to give you a house where you could
cook and sweep and exercise your domestic tastes to your hearts'
content."

Dimple understood all this banter, and she laughingly said, "Florence,
we are like the birds that try to take the wrens' houses to live in. But
now we have a nest of our own we won't do it any more, papa. Thank you
so much. It is the most lovely surprise I ever had in all my life."

"I'm glad you like your house, Mistress Eleanor Dallas; but, dear me, I
can't stand here chattering. I must be off."

Dimple gave him an ecstatic parting hug, and returned to a survey of her
house.

"Papa gives you the house, and I the furniture," her mother told her.
"You must try to keep the place neat and clean. Of course, Bubbles can
help you, sometimes, but I want you to learn to take care of it yourself
and to be a good housekeeper."

"Like Jenny Wren. Oh, yes, mamma, I will try. Florence, we'll put up
boxes for the wrens, up there by the door, and maybe they will come and
build. Mamma, may we have our ice cream and cake out here this
afternoon?"

"Yes, if you like, and you may go over and ask Rock Hardy to come, and
Leila and Eugene Clark too, if you like to have them. That will make
qu