them when her box comes."

"Such a chance! Right there and plenty of money! How could you love your
uncle after such cruelty?" sighed Annabel, with a face full of sympathy.

Rose looked puzzled for a minute, then seemed to understand, and assumed
a superior air which became her very well as she said, good-naturedly
opening a box of laces, "Uncle did not forbid my doing it, and I had
money enough, but I chose not to spend it on things of that sort."

"Could and didn't! I can't believe it!" And Annabel sank into a chair,
as if the thought was too much for her.

"I did rather want to at first, just for the fun of the thing. In fact,
I went and looked at some amazing gowns. But they were very expensive,
very much trimmed, and not my style at all, so I gave them up and kept
what I valued more than all the gowns Worth every made."

"What in the world was it?" cried Annabel, hoping she would say
diamonds.

"Uncle's good opinion," answered Rose, looking thoughtfully into the
depths of a packing case, where lay the lovely picture that would always
remind her of the little triumph over girlish vanity, which not only
kept but increased "Uncle's good opinion."

"Oh, indeed!" said Annabel blankly, and fell to examining Aunt Plenty's
lace while Rose went on with a happy smile in her eyes as she dived into
another trunk.

"Uncle thinks one has no right to waste money on such things, but he
is very generous and loves to give useful, beautiful, or curious gifts.
See, all these pretty ornaments are for presents, and you shall choose
first whatever you like."

"He's a perfect dear!" cried Annabel, reveling in the crystal, filigree,
coral, and mosaic trinkets spread before her while Rose completed her
rapture by adding sundry tasteful trifles fresh from Paris.

"Now tell me, when do you mean to have your coming-out party? I ask
because I've nothing ready and want plenty of time, for I suppose it
will be the event of the season," asked Annabel a few minutes later as
she wavered between a pink coral and a blue lava set.

"I came out when I went to Europe, but I suppose Aunty Plen will want to
have some sort of merry-making to celebrate our return. I shall begin
as I mean to go on, and have a simple, sociable sort of party and invite
everyone whom I like, no matter in what 'set' they happen to belong. No
one shall ever say I am aristocratic and exclusive so prepare yourself
to be shocked, for old friends and young, rich and poor,