l laughing.

"It was before the sickness--O, long ago; you gave it to me, with money
in it, for Lilac lane."

"Is the money all gone?"

"It is all gone," said Matilda; "for you remember, Mrs. Laval, Norton
and I had a great many things to get for that poor woman and her house.
It took all the money."

"You had enough?"

"O yes, ma'am; Norton helped."

"Well then you have a pocket book; that will serve to hold your future
supplies. I shall give you the same as I give Norton, five dollars a
month; that is fifteen dollars a quarter. Out of that you will provide
yourself with boots and shoes and gloves; you may consult your own
taste, only you must be always nice in those respects. Here is
November's five dollars."

"Mamma, November is half out," said Norton.

"Matilda has everything to get; she has to begin without such a stock
as you have on hand."

"Mamma, you will give her besides for her Christmas presents, won't
you?"

"Certainly. As I do you."

"How much will you give her, mamma? For I foresee we shall have a great
deal of work to attend to in New York stores before Christmas; and
Matilda will naturally want to know how much she has to spend."

"She can think about it," said Mrs. Laval smiling. "You do not want
your Christmas money yet."

"We shall get into great trouble," said Norton with a mock serious
face. "I foresee I shall have so much advising to do--and to take--that
it lies like a weight on me. I can't think how Pink will settle things
in her mind. At present she is under the impression that she must not
keep more than one pair of boots at a time."

"You want several, my darling," said Mrs. Laval, "for different uses
and occasions. Don't you understand that?"

"Yes ma'am, I always did"--

Matilda would have explained, but Norton broke in. "She thinks two
overcoats at once is extravagant, mamma; I ought to give one of them
away."

Matilda wanted to say that Norton was laughing, and yet what he said
was partly true. She held her peace.

"You do not really think that, my darling," said Mrs. Laval, putting
her arm round Matilda, and bending down her face for a kiss. "You do
not think that, do you?"

It was very difficult to tell Mrs. Laval what she really did think.
Matilda hesitated.

"Don't you see," said the lady, laughing and kissing her again, "don't
you see that Norton wants two overcoats just as much as he wants one?
The one he wears every day to school would not be fit to go