ness of this question. She looked at Elinor's
wonderfully made suit and her furs and the dark purple velvet hat she
wore that was so attractive against her white hair, and then memory
showed her Miss Eliza, trotting about in the sensible and comfortably
cut garments she affected the year round.

"More," she declared, with honesty and emphasis.

"And do you imagine for a single instant that I would be letting you
wear anything that was not at all right for you to wear?"

Arethusa shook her head decidedly. That was not exactly the point. "But
if I only had...." she began, uncertainly.

"Miss Rosa," asked Elinor desperately, "have you such a thing as a
guimpe?"

Miss Rosa had, she was sure, somewhere about.

"Would you mind bringing it?"

So the guimpe was brought, a lace guimpe with long, lace sleeves, and a
high collared neck of lace.

Arethusa could have cried at the way it made her look. It ruined her
Wonderful Frock; even she, inexperienced in such frocks, could tell
that with ease. It was a real relief to get it off, and view herself
once more as she had been at first arrayed, without it.

"Now don't you see?"

Yes, Arethusa saw.

"And do you suppose," pursued Elinor, "that Miss Eliza, as sensible as
you say she is, would want to spoil an already beautiful dress that
way?"

No, Arethusa could not believe that even Miss Eliza would want to be so
unfeeling to beautiful dresses such as this. She could not help but
think, she who had seen it and worn it, both ways, that Miss Eliza
would be forced to select, as the prettier, the dress without the
guimpe. There was really no choice, thought Arethusa, between them.

She smiled at her many reflections once more, and strutted a bit, back
and forth, to watch her draperies float about her.

"I'm rather sorry," remarked Elinor, "that you needed so much
convincing that I had any idea what was best."

Arethusa stopped short, and turned in alarm. "Why, Mother...."

But Elinor's merry brown eyes were smiling at her, and Arethusa
understood. She swooped upon her joyously, with the danger of damage to
the Green Gown in her sudden movement, and hugged her mother swiftly.

"It's just," she exclaimed, "it's just that if you knew Aunt 'Liza you
would understand!"

Ross had also said something of the kind, only the day before. So
Elinor was beginning to feel a rather respectful interest in Miss
Eliza.

Then Arethusa and Elinor, the dress carefully removed and folde