ted a more overpowering effect than ever.

Although, possibly owing to her Italian blood, Toni herself had a
weakness for bright colours, on other people, this daring juxtaposition
of pink and violet was a trifle bizarre even for her taste; and she
looked critically at Fanny as the latter paraded under the gas jet in
order to show off the "creation" to its best advantage.

"Well?" Fanny's tone was anxious; and Antonia flung scruple to the
winds.

"It's lovely, Fan, and you look scrumptious in it!" She hastily produced
from a paper bag a bunch of violets she had intended for her own
adornment. "Here, let me pin these in for you, they will finish you off
beautifully."

"But they're yours, Toni!"

"Oh, never mind me!" Toni laughed recklessly. "I've not got a Josh
waiting for me downstairs--and anyway, I don't much care to wear
flowers, they die so quickly, poor dears."

Her own frock, an oft-washed white muslin, was donned in a second. A
bright green ribbon round her waist, a pair of greenstone earrings put
in beneath the clustering black hair, giving her a quaintly picturesque
look, and Antonia was ready for the evening's jollity.

As the cousins ran downstairs together, an appetising smell of roasting
chickens came to their nostrils, and Toni sniffed appreciatively.

"I wish Uncle Fred had a birthday every week! Isn't it fun having people
in and playing games afterwards!"

"Rather, but I wish we'd been going to the theatre!"

"Well, so do I," conceded Toni, "but anyhow this is better than one of
our usual dull evenings!"

Half an hour later the feast was in full progress. The table in the
little "front room" literally groaned with good things; indeed, so
liberally was it provided that half-way through the meal the butcher
insisted on removing the vase of chrysanthemums which stood proudly in
the middle on a green paper mat, alleging as he did so that "them
flowers took up a sight too much room"--an axiom to which he stuck in
spite of his daughter's remonstrances.

Besides the family there were three guests. Mr. Joshua Lee who was
engaged to Fanny, naturally had the place of honour beside her; and from
that vantage ground he played the part of prospective son-in-law to
perfection, removing the plates, running about in search of a mislaid
salt-cellar, and generally acquitting himself, so Fanny thought proudly,
like a perfect gentleman.

The other two guests were less busy. One of them, Mr. Britton, sat
bes