and the fortnightly visits to Brantmere filled her with delighted
expectation.

For the next few days Hilary was as busy as a bee preparing for her
visit to London. She gathered together all her nicest things, and, not
content with her own, cast a covetous eye on the possessions of her
sisters. Half a dozen times in the course of the morning the door of
the room in which the two youngest sisters sat would burst open, and
Hilary's sleek little head appear round the corner to make some new
request.

"Lettice! you might lend me your new muff!"

"Oh, Hilary! I only got it at Christmas, and I need it myself in this
cold weather."

"Don't be so selfish. I'll leave you my old one. It doesn't matter
what sort of a muff you wear here, and you know quite well mine is too
shabby for London. It's only for a fortnight!"

"Oh, well, I suppose you must have it. It's very hard, though, for I do
like nice things, even if I am in the country."

"Oh, thanks awfully. I'll take mine to your room." Then the door would
bang and Hilary's footsteps be heard flying up the staircase, but in
less than ten minutes she would be down again with another request.
"You don't mind, I suppose, if I take your silver brushes?"

"My silver brushes! I should think I _do_ mind, indeed. What next?"

"But you never use them. You might just as well lend them to me as
leave them lying in their case upstairs."

"I am keeping them until I go away visiting. If I don't even use them
myself, it's not likely I am going to lend them to anyone else."

"Lettice, how mean! What harm could I do to the brushes in a fortnight?
You know what a grand house Miss Carr's is, and it would be too horrid
for me to go with a common wooden brush. I do think you might lend them
to me!"

"Oh, well, you can have them if you like, but you are not afraid of
asking, I must say! Is there anything else--?"

"Not from you; at least, I don't think so just now. But, Norah, I want
your bangle--the gold one, you know! Lend it to me, like a dear, won't
you?"

"If you lose it, will you buy me a new one?"

"I won't lose it. I'll only wear it in the evening, and I'll be most
awfully careful."

"You have a bangle of your own. Why can't you be content with that?"

"I want two--one for each arm; they look so nice with short sleeves.
I'll put it in my jewel-box, and lock it up safely--"

"I haven't said I would lend it to you yet."

But Hilary ran away laughing,