es God has given us, and
now I'm more content with it."

"It is lovely hair, and I would kick any boy that called it carrots,"
cried Marjory stoutly; and she took hold of a strand of it and kissed it
impulsively. "Oh, I do think you're such a darling!" she said. "I'm
going to be so happy now I've got you!"

This from quiet, self-contained Marjory! Here indeed was a revelation.

Marjory was just putting her locket back inside the neck of her dress,
where she always kept it hidden, when Blanche's attention was attracted
by something else which hung on the chain.

"What's this silver thing?" she asked; and Marjory explained that it was
the half of a sixpence with a hole in it. "Lisbeth says my mother wore
it for luck, so I always wear it too."

"How interesting! I wonder where the other half is."

"Lisbeth doesn't know; she says she never saw or heard of the other
half."

"If you were in a fairy tale, you'd make all the knights that wanted to
marry you go all over the world to find the other half; and then most
likely the person that had it would turn out to be a king's son, and he
would marry you, and you would be a queen, and be happy ever after."

Marjory laughed. "You shall make a story of it and tell it to me some
day; but come now and see my bedroom."

On the way to Marjory's bedroom they had to pass the locked chamber, and
of course Blanche had to inquire what it was, and Marjory had to
explain, which she did in an apologetic, shamefaced way.

"But how romantic--much better than a fairy tale! How you must long to
be fifteen and go in and see it!"

"Yes, I do. I wish it every day. But it takes such a lot of days to make
a year, and there are still two more years to come." And Marjory sighed.

"Oh, they'll soon go," said Blanche cheerfully, "now that you've got to
have lessons and be so busy."

When they reached the bedroom the girls went straight to the window, and
were delighted to find that Blanche's room could be seen from it, so
that the proposed signalling could easily be managed. They arranged that
it should be done by waving white handkerchiefs. Four waves were to mean
"Can you come out?" One wave in reply was to mean "No," and a lot of
little waves "Yes." If either had to go out elsewhere, or should be
prevented in any way from waiting till the other appeared at her window,
the handkerchief was to be hung on a nail outside. They agreed that
they would always go to signal directly after breakfas