might yet lead, if ever it should fall into strangers' hands.

"A Hair Bracelet," continued Zack, quite unconscious of the effect he
was producing on two of the card-players behind him; "and _such_ hair,
too, as I mean it to be made of!--Why, Madonna will think it more
precious than all the diamonds in the world. I defy anybody to have hit
on a better idea of the sort of present she's sure to like; it's elegant
and appropriate, and all that sort of thing--isn't it?"

"Oh, yes! very nice and pretty indeed," replied Mrs. Blyth, rather
absently and confusedly. She knew as much of Madonna's history as her
husband did; and was wondering what he would think of the present which
young Thorpe proposed giving to their adopted child.

"The thing I want most to know," said Zack, "is what you think would be
the best pattern for the bracelet. There will be two kinds of hair in
it, which can be made into any shape, of course--your hair and Mrs.
Peckover's."

("Not a morsel of my hair shall go towards the bracelet!" muttered
Mrs. Peckover, who was listening to what was said, while she went on
playing.)

"The difficult hair to bring in, will be mine and Valentine's," pursued
Zack. "Mine's long enough, to be sure; I ought to have got it cut a
month ago; but it's so stiff and curly; and Blyth keeps his cropped so
short--I don't see what they can do with it (do you?), unless they make
rings, or stars, or knobs, or something stumpy, in the way of a cross
pattern of it."

"The people at the shop will know best," said Mrs. Blyth, resolving to
proceed cautiously.

"One thing I'm determined on, though, beforehand," cried Zack,--"the
clasp. The clasp shall be a serpent, with turquoise eyes, and a
carbuncle tail; and all our initials scored up somehow on his scales.
Won't that be splendid? I should like to surprise Madonna with it this
very evening."

("You shall never give it to her, if _I_ can help it," grumbled Mrs.
Peckover, still soliloquizing under her breath. "If anything in this
world can bring her ill-luck, it will be a Hair Bracelet!")

These last words were spoken with perfect seriousness; for they were the
result of the strongest superstitious conviction.

From the time when the Hair Bracelet was found on Madonna's mother, Mrs.
Peckover had persuaded herself--not unnaturally, in the absence of any
information to the contrary--that it had been in some way connected with
the ruin and shame which had driven its unhappy pos