LE-AX

"Marie came to see us at our home next morning and began to cry as
soon as she had sat down in the library. The thing I had looked for
had come to pass. Her grandfather had dropped Harry from his list, and
warned him to keep off the rag-carpet. There was to be no more
prancing around in the 'toot-coach' and the 'Harry-cart,' as he called
them, for Marie. In his view it was the surest means of getting to
perdition. Harry was an idler, and he had always found that an idle
brain was the devil's workshop. Marie might be polite to the young
man, but she must keep her side of the road and see that there was
always plenty of room between them.

"'He's so hateful,' Marie said of her grandfather. 'He made such a
fuss about our getting a crest that we've a perfect right to! Mama had
to give it up.'

"'What! Do you mean to tell me that you have no crest!' I inquired,
anxiously.

"'We have one, but we cannot use it; our hands are tied,' was her
sorrowful answer.

"'I'm astonished. Why, everybody is going to have a crest in
Pointview.

"'The other day I suggested to Bridget Maloney, our pretty chambermaid,
that she ought to have the Maloney crest on her letter-heads.

"'"What's that?" says Bridget.

"'"What's that!" I said, with a look of pity.

"'Then I showed her a letter from Mrs. Van Alstyne, with a lion and a
griffin cuffing each other black and blue at the top of the sheet.

"'"It's grand!" said she.

"'"It's the Van Alstyne crest," I said. "It's a proof of respectability.
Aren't you as good as they are?"

"'"Every bit!" said she.

"'"That's what I thought. Don't you often feel as if you were better
than a good many people you know?"

"'"Sure I do."

"'"Well, that's a sign that you're blue-blooded," said I. "Probably
you've got a king in your family somewhere. A crest shows that you
suspect your ancestors--nothing more than that. It isn't proof, so
there's no reason why you shouldn't have it. You ought not to be going
around without a crest, as if you were a common servant-girl. Why,
every kitchen-maid will be thinking she's as good as you are. You want
to be in style. You have money in the bank, and not half the people
who have crests are as well able to afford 'em."

"'"How much do they cost?"

[Illustration: "'IT'S THE VAN ALSTYNE CREST,' I SAID. 'IT'S A PROOF OF
RESPECTABILITY.'"]

"'"Nothing--at least, yours'll cost nothing, Bridget. I shall be glad
to buy one for you."

"'The simple g