eavy brown or black stuff, made
without any trimming, and with never a vestige of white at neck or
wrists,--a dainty finish which Bella loved the look of.

In spite of the heat and the long walk in it, Bella waited impatiently for
the following Saturday, and surely, she thought, never had a week been so
long in passing.

It was September now, but the weather was as hot and stifling as it had
been in July. The days were shorter, and the sun went down earlier, but,
apart from the sun, the oppressive heat lasted on throughout the nights,
which were almost as trying as the day. The earlier summer flowers were
over, and the drought had prevented the later ones from coming on well,
so that it was difficult to get a good supply week by week.

Bella and Tom no longer carried in the things from their own little
gardens only, or they would often have found they had not enough to make
it worth their while; but all contributed something that they had to sell,
and it was quite a serious business to make up the accounts and divide the
money when the little market-gardeners got home from market.

Each one now had a money-box or Savings Bank account. Aunt Emma was
delighted. "It is ever so much better for them than wasting their time
playing," she said to Mrs. Langley one day. "Much better."

"They ought to play, too," said Aunt Maggie quietly; "this is their
play-time. All the rest of their life will be taken up with trying to
earn a living. Let them play too, when they can."

As Bella and Tom started off that morning in their nice new cool garments,
they thought that work would be ever so much nicer than play, if one could
only go about it dressed like that always. Tom felt quite grown-up and
business-like in his linen coat, and Bella felt another being, her frock
was so much lighter and so pretty, too, and cool and clean.

"I think our new clothes have brought us good luck," she said, as long
before the morning was over they had sold out most of what they had
brought. The 'good luck' was that in their new garments, looking cool and
fresh, they attracted the notice of those who had overlooked them in their
heavier, uglier clothes.

When the time came for them to have their meal, they had sold out
everything, to the very last apple.

"We could start for home now," said Bella, who was suffering much less
from the heat than usual, "only that I've got some shopping to do for Aunt
Emma."

"And we've got to buy the seed