ever
discovered, and if she did, no one of us is rich enough to relieve her.
Now a bright plan has occurred to me. Suppose we club."

"Club what?" said David.

"Forces. That is, put our stock together and give her something
clever--from the whole of us, you know."

David looked at the new member of the quartette, as if to see whether
she would do to work with; Judy whistled softly.

"What shall we give her?" said that young lady. "She has got everything
under the sun already."

"Easier to find one thing than four things, then," said Norton.

"I think it will do," said David. "It is a good idea. And I saw the
article at Candello's yesterday."

"What was it?"

"A liqueur stand. Grandmamma was admiring it. It is very elegant; the
shapes of the flasks and cups are so uncommon, and so pretty."

"David is a judge of that," said Norton by way of comment to Matilda.
"I go in for colour, and he for shapes."

"There is no colour here," said David; "it is all clear glass."

"The cordial will give the colour," said Norton. "Yes, I think that
will do. Hurra! Grandmamma is always on my mind about this time, and it
keeps down my spirits."

"Who'll go and get it?" said Judy.

"We'll all go together," said Norton. "We are _all_ going to get it;
didn't you understand? I want to see for myself, for my part, before
the thing's done. I say! let us each give a glass, and have our names
engraved on them."

"I don't want anybody to drink out of 'Judy,'" said the young lady
tossing her head.

"Grandmamma will think she is kissing you," said Norton. "She'll wear
out that glass, that's the worst of it."

"Then somebody else will have to drink out of 'David,'" said Judy's
brother. "I don't know about that."

"Well, she'd like it," said Norton.

"But I wouldn't," said Judy. "I have no objection to her kissing me;
but fancy other people!"

"It won't hurt," said Norton. "You'll never feel it through the glass.
But anyhow, we'll all go to Candello's to-morrow and see the thing, and
see what we'll do. Maybe she'll give us cordial in our own cups. That
would be jolly!--if it was noyau."

"You are getting jolly already," said Judith. "Does Matilda ever get
jolly?"

"You'll find out," said Norton; "in course of time, if you keep your
eyes open. But I don't believe you know a brick when you see it, Judy."

"A brick!" said that young lady.

"Yes. There are a great many sorts, David can tell you. Bricks are a
very old institut