ain at the remembrance.

"She felt badly, all the same," said Polly slowly. She didn't even
smile, and Alexia could feel that the arm was slipping away from her.

"Oh dear me!" she began, then she dropped Polly Pepper's arm. "Sally,
you may go next," she cried suddenly, and she skipped back into the
bunch of the other girls.

Polly sent her an approving little nod, and she didn't fail to smile
now. Alexia ran over to the wagonette, and hopped in, not daring to
trust herself to see Sally Moore's satisfaction ahead in the coveted
seat.

The other girls jumping in, the wagonette was soon filled, and away they
spun for the two miles over to the Hornes' beautiful place. And before
long, their respects having been paid to Mrs. Horne, the whole bevy was
up in Silvia's pretty pink and white room overlooking the lake.

"I think it's just too lovely for anything here, Silvia Horne,"
exclaimed Sally, whose spirits were quite recovered now. She had her
aunt's pin all safe, and she had ridden up next to Polly. "Oh girls, she
has a new pincushion and cover."

"Yes, a whole new set," said Silvia carelessly, as the girls rushed over
from the bed where they were laying their things, to see this new
acquisition to the beautiful room.

"Well, if I could have such perfectly exquisite things," breathed Alexia
as they all oh-ed and ah-ed over the pink ribbons and dainty lace, "I'd
be the very happiest girl."

Kathleen Briggs thrust her long figure in among the bevy. "That toilet
set is very pretty," she said indifferently and with quite a young-lady
air.

"Very pretty!" repeated Alexia, turning her pale eyes upon her in
astonishment, "well, I should think it was! It's too perfectly elegant
for anything!"

"Oh dear me!" Kathleen gave a little laugh. "It's just nothing to the
one I have on my toilet table at home. Besides, I shall bring home some
Oriental lace, and have a new one: I'm going around the world to-morrow,
you know."

"Oh my goodness!" exclaimed Alexia faintly. And the other girls fell
back, and stared respectfully.

"Yes," said Kathleen, delighted at the effect she had produced. "We
start to-morrow, and we don't know how long we shall be gone. Perhaps
two years. Papa says he'll stay if we want to; but mamma and I may get
tired and come home." She jingled her bracelets worse than ever.

"They've come to bid us good-bye, you see," said Silvia, to break the
uncomfortable silence.

"Oh yes," said Polly Pepper.

"W