ation. She first of all
drew the bolt to secure herself against intrusion, and then stepping on
tiptoe, she unlocked a drawer and took from it several ends of candle
which she had collected from time to time. These she stuck on the
dressing-table, and when she had made her little garret almost as bright
as day she unfolded her pale-blue blouse. She bent low over her
treasure, examining the blue embroidery, which was rendered still more
fascinating with small stitches of pink silk, looking with ecstacy at
the real lace round the neck and cuffs and finally pressing the delicate
color against her blooming cheek.

Susy Hopkins was quite an ordinary-looking little girl. Her nose was
decidedly snub, her mouth wide; but her eyes were dark and bright, and
she had fairly good eyebrows. She had a low forehead, rather nice curly
hair, and a high color in her cheeks.

"In this blouse I shall look a positive beauty," she thought. "Won't Tom
respect me when he sees me in it on Sunday? I must try it on now; I
really must."

Accordingly she slipped off her bodice, and substituted the pale-blue
cashmere blouse for the ugly and threadbare garment she had removed.
Whether the blouse was becoming to Susy Hopkins or not remains to be
proved, but it certainly delighted its wearer, causing her eyes to
sparkle and the color in her cheeks to grow brighter.

"It is the most beautiful thing I ever saw in my life," she thought.
"Why, Kathleen is like a fairy godmother. And how well it fits! And what
a perfect cut about the neck! And, oh! these darling little cuffs at the
end of the sleeves, and this sweet pink embroidery and this little
ruffle of lace round the neck. Oh! there never, never was anything made
so beautifully before. I am in luck; I am--I am."

Her mother's hand knocking on the wall brought her down from the clouds.

"Go to bed, dear," called out her parent. "It is very late, and you are
disturbing me."

"Yes, mother," called back Susy.

She removed the blouse, folded it in tissue-paper, put it into her
drawer, blew out the candles, and got into bed. But all through the
remainder of the night Susy dreamt of her blouse. The blouse filled her
thoughts, otherwise she might have been in raptures over her pretty
silver locket and its green ribbon. But as this was for private wear,
and must on no account be shown to any one who was not a member of the
society, it did not give her the amount of rapture it would otherwise
have done.