to such a proposal, and they
accepted it with the greatest pleasure, agreeing to meet him at the
pier on the following morning.

Then Mr. Weston and Paul went to the steamship office to engage
passage to Europe for the coming Saturday, and the partners went to
startle Mrs. Green and her daughter with the wonderful news. To their
great surprise Mrs. Green, even though she did own one-sixth of the
hundred dollars, decided that she could not afford to close up her
basket-store for the day, even when she had been invited to make one
of the pleasure-party; but she was willing and anxious for Nelly to
go, which was, perhaps, just as well.

Nine o'clock was the time when Mr. Weston had said that he and Paul
would meet the party at the pier; but they, fearing lest they might be
late, had arrived there a little before eight on the following
morning, as full of pleasure as any five children that could have been
found in New York City.

Ben and Johnny presented very nearly the same gorgeous appearance they
had on the night when they first called on Mrs. Green, while Dickey
and Mopsey were attired in costumes that were models of their own idea
of fashion. Nelly, who looked very sweet and modest in her clean
gingham dress, had tried in vain to persuade her friends to go in
their usual working-clothes, rather than put on such a striking array
as they did; but each one of the boys indignantly repelled the idea of
showing so little regard for the gentleman who was to give them so
much pleasure, by not making themselves look as beautiful as possible,
and she could not persuade them to do differently.

It was hardly more than half-past eight when they began to express
their doubts as to whether Mr. Weston would arrive in time to take the
steamer he had designated, and they were fearing lest they should be
disappointed after all, when Paul and his father arrived.

Mopsey was in favor of giving Mr. Weston three cheers as a mark of
their appreciation and admiration, when that gentleman appeared at the
head of the pier, and, finding that his companions objected to it,
would have done all the cheering himself if Ben had not forcibly
prevented him by holding his hand firmly over his mouth.

Paul greeted his friends as warmly as if he had been separated from
them for weeks instead of hours, and then the party went on board the
steamer, feeling that they were justly the observed of all observers.

Mopsey explained everything they saw wi