war and its consequences; but Lilly gave me a quick look, and her face
absolutely flashed. Then she slyly raised those long slim fingers of
hers and spelled out, "_The cotton_."

Well, pretty soon we heard from the cotton. Uncle David had sent it to
England, and it had brought a good price. In he came one day and tossed
a little packet into my lap and into Lil's. We opened them, and out
tumbled five twenty-dollar gold-pieces.

"Well, young ladies," said he, "what shall you do with your wealth?"

"Go to New Orleans," said Lilly as coolly as ever she spoke in her life.

"Pooh! pooh!" said Aunt Nanny: "just put it in the bank for a nest-egg."

"Now, Aunt Nanny," said Lilly, who had a perfect genius for argument,
"what under heaven do we want with a nest-egg? Uncle David gave us this
without any conditions: we were to do just as we pleased with it. And I
am tired of staying on this old sand-bar: it just makes me sick to smell
the oleanders. I want to go somewhere--to see something of life. Mrs.
Long would be delighted to have us go over to New Orleans with her: this
money will buy us some new dresses; so _why_ can't we do it?"

"I think they might go, Nanny," said that blessed Uncle David; and then
Maum' Hepsey came in. She had been our black mammy, and was a privileged
character.

"Lor', yes, Miss Nanny!" said she: "let de chillen go, for massy's sake.
Dey gits tired joggin' along here in de same ole ruts. 'Tain't gwine ter
cost so very much; an' I'm willin' ter 'conomize six months ter help
'long."

The end of it all was that Aunt Nanny had to give her consent--that is,
she said, if Mrs. Long really wanted us. So she dressed in her best--a
long velvet cloak and a brocaded silk that looked very _ark_aic--and
went the same day to find out that lady's mind. She came back, of
course, with a warm repetition of Mrs. Long's invitation, and an urgent
entreaty to be ready in a week's time. Hence the commotion in our
family, for much had to be done in that week of preparation.

I did not suspect Lilly was not quite happy until one morning when we
were walking on the beach before breakfast. It was a morning to make one
in love with life. I danced along the hard shining white beach, and was
more interested in watching the water, that broke into as many ripples
as if the fishes were doing the diagonal waltz under the waves, than in
looking at Lilly's face; but finally I noticed that she had an ugly
little frown on her forehe