w much?" inquired Daisy.

"Nothing--about the ways of the world."

Daisy looked at the pony chaise, at the blue hills, at her basket of
pears; and yielding to what seemed necessity, gave up Molly for that
day. She went with Preston, he on horseback, she in her pony chaise, and
a very long afternoon's work they made of it. And they did not get
through the work, either. But by dint of hearing the thing talked over,
and seeing the great interest excited among the young folks, Daisy's
mind grew pretty full of the pictures before the day was ended. It was
so incomprehensible, how Theresa Stanfield could ever bring her merry,
arch face into the grave proud endurance of the deposed French queen; it
was so puzzling to imagine Hamilton Rush, a fine, good-humoured fellow,
something older than Preston, transformed into the grand and awful
figure of Ahasuerus; and Nora was so eager to know what part _she_ could
take; and Mrs. Sandford entered into the scheme with such utter good
nature and evident competence to manage it. Ella Stanfield's eyes grew
very wide open; and Mrs. Fish was full of curiosity, and the Linwoods
were tumultuous.

"We shall have to tame those fellows down," Preston remarked as he and
Daisy rode away from this last place,--"or they will upset everything.
Why cannot people teach people to take things quietly!"

"How much that little one wanted to be Red Riding-hood," said Daisy.

"Yes. Little Malapert!"

"You will let her, won't you?"

"I reckon I won't. You are to be Red Riding-hood--unless,--I don't know;
perhaps that would be a good one to give Nora Dinwiddie. I shall see."

That day was gone. The next day there was a great overhauling, by
Preston and his mother and Daisy, of the stores of finery which Mrs.
Randolph put at their disposal. Mrs. Randolph herself would have nothing
to do with the arrangements; she held aloof from the bustle attending
them; but facilities and materials she gave with unsparing hand. Daisy
was very much amused. Mrs. Gary and Preston had a good deal of
consultation over the finery, having at the same time the engravings
spread out before them. Such stores of satin and lace robes, and velvet
mantles, and fur wrappings and garnishings, and silken scarfs, and
varieties of adornment old and new, were gathered into one room and
displayed, that it almost tired Daisy to look at them. Nevertheless she
was amused. And she was amused still more, when later in the day, after
luncheon,