ay," said
Dotty, much shocked.

"Fie, Augustus!" said Aunt Madge, who was laughing herself. "I wouldn't
have had this happen on any account. Mrs. Pragoff asked me, before the
children came, if I would let them visit her; but I gave her no decided
answer; thought, perhaps I might go with them just to drink tea. But
the idea of her taking them while I was gone! And her house so full of
elegant little trifles! How much did Fly break?"

"Nothing, auntie," replied Horace. "I didn't let her stir but I was
after her. I flatter myself I saved considerable property."

"There, Margery, don't mind it," said Uncle Augustus. "Mrs. Pragoff
needed all this mortification to humble her pride. Come here, Fly;
here's a bonbon for you. They say you are going about doing good without
any more intention of it than the goose that saved Rome."

"That reminds me to inquire," said Aunt Madge, "if Fly's blind girl came
that day?"

"Yes, auntie, and she was so sorry you were gone; but they will be here
again to-morrow."

"It was too bad to disappoint her," said Aunt Madge, with such lovely
pity in her face that Prudy seized one of her hands and kissed it.

"I tell you what it is," broke in Dotty; "I always thought Mrs. Pragoff
must be queer as soon as I heard she came from Poland, where grandma's
cropple-crown hen came from; don't you remember, Prudy? the one that
hatched the duck's eggs. But I didn't know she worshipped things. Only I
noticed that she didn't buy any black pins when those pitiful little
boys ran after us, and said, 'O, lady! please, lady!' I thought that was
mean."

"Miss Dotty Dimple, come sit on my knee, and let me explain. Mrs.
Pragoff is no heathen. She only loves to dress elegantly, and your
auntie and I sometimes think she cares too much about it, and about
what other people say. That was what I meant by her 'worshipping Saint
Grundy;' but it was ill-natured of me to criticise her. As for the black
pins, she is a remarkably benevolent woman, Puss; but she can't buy
black pins _all_ the time; you may set that down as a fact. Why, Fly,
what now?"

The child had snapped her bonbon, and, instead of candy, had found a red
paper riding cap trimmed with gold fringe; with this on her head, she
was climbing the drop-light, a la monkey. Fortunately the gas had been
lighted only in the chandelier; but three inches more, and Fly's gold
tassels would have been on fire. Uncle Augustus rose in alarm; but
Horace laughed, believi