irls want Henry to go
because he spends his money in such a dandy way; so I said I would invite
him to take me, never thinking for a minute that mother would object. And
now she says, not only that I can't ask him, but that I can't go. Well, I
will, anyway. So there! I just will go."

Then Bess pushed her head far down in the pillow to think out a way. If
grandmother were only alive she would help her. She had always found a
way to get what Bess wanted. But grandmother was dead and Bess must work
it out alone, so she began to think.

Suddenly she heard a voice saying,

"Why, Bessie dear, whatever is the matter? You look very unhappy. Tell me
all about it."

And there was grandmother with the neat, black silk dress and the dainty
white collar, and even the pretty white apron that she used to wear. Oh!
Oh! how glad Bess was to see her!

Hand in hand, they went away from the house to where the trees in the
orchard were bending with fruit, and, sitting there on a stone, Bess told
her all about her trouble. Whatever would the girls think of her when she
had promised to invite the boy they all wanted? And after she had told it
every bit, she squeezed grandma's hand very hard and said,

"And now, Granny dear, you will help me, won't you? It is perfectly all
right to ask him for all the girls do it. I want him to take me."

"Well, well, dear," said the grandmother, "if we find that it is all
right, I shall be glad to find a way to help you. But we must see. We must
see."

"See what, grandmother?" asked the girl. "There is nothing to see."

"Indeed there is, child," said Granny. "In times of trouble one must
always see the Truth. Then the way is easy. After I see the Truth, I shall
be able to tell what to do. Come and we shall soon find out. You see you
belong to my family and my family is proud of the fact that its girls have
all been ladies. So we must go to the keeper of the book and see what a
lady can do in this case."

On and on they went till they came to a queer little old man standing
before a big, big book. Granny went daintily up to him and said,

"Will you tell me if it is ever right for a young lady to ask a strange
young man to take her to a dance, and pay out his money for her, when he
has not even been to her home or met her mother? My grandchild says all
the girls do it, so I suppose it must be a new thing that has been written
in the book since I was a girl. I want her to be sure to be a lady, so
b