from
his tea-boxes and the lovely paper ribbon off the boxes of raisins.

Hugh heard again about Blanche and Emma and the piano, and the rapt
vision of the buying up of both the Smiths, and the future conduct of
one grocery business only by a person of the name of Larkin.

"Not another word," he said; "you have more than convinced me that no
one who has any regard for his immortal soul would deal anywhere but at
Octavius Smith's. Let us go on and swell Larkin's commission at once.
You are probably better up in housekeeping than I am, Lynn,--if I forget
any item you must jog my memory. My sister will be quite delighted that
we have saved her all this trouble."

Octavius was speedily wide-awake.

He had always liked the Judge's children, and took a special interest in
Lynn, who had composed the following song for him:--

"You must deal at the shop of Octave
Ius Smith if you're anxious to save.
But into the small shop of Sept
We hope that you never have stept."

But this was beyond everything good and thoughtful of the child. And as
to Larkin, who had obtained her interest so well--well, the lad should
have a "thumping" commission on the order.

The old man's hand began positively to shake as he wrote and wrote at
the order.

It was Lynn who suggested everything, with Max occasionally coming in
with a brilliant thought like "hundreds and lousands of laspberry jam."

As for instance--soap. "Yes, you will need soap," Lynn said; "how much?
Oh, I think you always order grocery things in half-dozens."

"Half-dozens be it," said Hugh.

"Six bars of soap," wrote Octavius, who was a little deaf, and had not
heard the quantity difficulty. "Six pounds of sago, six tins of
curry-powder, y-y-yes, six jars of honey, certainly, six tins of tongue,
six tins of asparagus, six pounds of pepper, six clothes pegs. Bacon?
Any favourite brand?"

"Well, all I'm particular about," said Hugh, with a twinkle in his eye,
"is that it shall be prime middle cut and elevenpence a pound."

"Just the very thing I make a speciality of!" cried the old man
marvelling.

Finally the order was complete; it took two pages of the order book.
Octavius would have to borrow Burunda's one cart to deliver so
tremendous an order; the usual thing was for Larkin to carry goods in a
basket on horseback.

He would have to go over to his brother Septimus and borrow some
things,--asparagus, for instance; he never kept more than two tins a