n
enormous price now, and she really needs the money!"

The carriage now stopped. Mrs. Joy got out, and Candace with her. The
footman seized the shining knocker, and gave a loud rap.

"Go back to the carriage, Wilkins," said Mrs. Joy. Then she added in a
low voice to Candace: "Get close to the door, dear. These people are so
queer. I often have to push my way in, but I can always manage them in
the end."

The door was opened a very little way by a very little girl.

"Is Miss Collisham at home?" asked Mrs. Joy, at the same time inserting
her foot deftly between the door and the door-frame, to insure that the
door should not be closed against her.

"No, 'm," said the child. "She's gone out."

"Dear me, what a shame! where is she?" demanded the visitor, in an
aggrieved tone, as if Miss Colishaw had no right to be out when wanted
by the owner of such a fine equipage.

"She's over to old Miss Barnes's. She's sick," replied the little girl.

"Who's sick?--old Miss Barnes? And where does she live?"

"Just over there in First Street," said the child, staring at Candace,
whose big red hat had caught her fancy. "'Tain't but a little way," she
added.

"Ah, indeed!" said Mrs. Joy, pushing her way into the entry. "Well,
then, you just run over to this place, dear, and tell Miss Collisham
that there's a lady waiting to speak to her on business. Be quick,
that's a good little girl! This young lady and I will sit down here and
wait till you come back."

The small maiden looked uncertain and rather frightened; but Mrs. Joy
marched resolutely into the little parlor on one side of the hall, and
seated herself; so, after a pause of hesitation, the child seized a
sun-bonnet which lay on a chair, and set off at a run in the direction
indicated. The moment she was gone Mrs. Joy jumped briskly up.

"Such a piece of good luck!" she cried. "One so rarely gets the chance
to examine a place like this without the bother of a family standing by
to watch everything you do." Then, to Candace's horror and astonishment,
she walked straight across the room to a cupboard which her experienced
eye had detected in the side of the chimney, opened the door, and took a
survey of the contents.

"Nothing there," she remarked, locking it up, "only medicine bottles and
trash. Let's try again." She opened a closet door, and emitted a sigh of
satisfaction.

"These must be the very plates I heard of," she said. "Let me
see,--five, six, eight,--a com