arry them ourselves," cried a brawny girl; "we'll all help."

So, with a girl at each corner of each box, we struggled up
stairs. Mine was not very heavy, but Gertie's was; and one girl
let her corner slip, which threw us all into confusion, and in the
midst of the hurly-burly we became aware of a majestic presence at
the head of the stairs, and there stood--Miss Coningham, the first
assistant. Our hearts stood still, for we had not asked
permission; but Sallie, whom nothing overcomes, saved us.

"Oh, Miss Coningham," she called, "_do_ come and help us;" and she
actually stepped down and caught it as the girls were losing
control of it, and engineered it into our sitting-room.

You know we five Aegises have one sitting-room, with three
bedrooms opening out of it. As she turned to go, I thought I saw
in her face a longing to stay, and be a girl with the rest of us,
and I said,

"Don't go, Miss Coningham; stay and see what is in the boxes."

"Thank you; I know you will enjoy yourselves more alone. Madame
told me to give you five young ladies permission to have supper in
your own room to-night."

"Why?" we all cried. "What made her?"

"Because it is Miss Wood's birthday."

"My birthday!" cried Gertie, in amaze. "I didn't once think of
it;" while the girls flew at her ears.

"I don't see how any one could forget such a thing--do you, Miss
Coningham?" I asked, as she stood in the door.

"No; I could not forget mine," she said. "This is mine too."

When I told the girls it was Miss Coningham's birthday too, they
unanimously proposed to give her a present, and ran to their rooms
for their purses.

"There are just ten of us," said Enid, counting.

"Pass round a hat," said Ida.

"This will do," cried Sallie, seizing an India rubber shoe, and
taking up the collection. "If you have little, give little, but if
you've got a lot, give a good deal. Six dollars and ninety cents,"
said Sallie, counting it. "Now what shall we get?"

"Flowers? They fade so quickly."

"Let's get something she can keep."

"Well, what?"

"A gold thimble. You know hers rolled down the register, and was
lost."

We agreed upon the thimble. Then Enid went to Miss Coningham, and
gained permission for us to go down to the jeweller's. So the