is would write to her and she would never lose
him again. And she could _do_ something _for_ him, something hard.

Her mother, stepping in again, before the tears were dried upon her
cheek, listened to the somewhat incoherent story of the naughty thing she
had done and the splendid thing Hollis had done, and of how she had paid
him with two promises.

Mrs. West examined the plate critically. "It's old, there's no sham about
it. I've seen a few old things and I know. I shouldn't wonder if he gave
five dollars for it"

"Five dollars!" repeated Marjorie in affright "Oh, I hope not."

"Well, perhaps not, but it is worth it and more, too, to Miss Prudence's
friend."

"And I'll keep my promises," said Marjorie's steadfast voice.

"H'm," ejaculated her mother. "I rather think Hollis has the best of it."

"That depends upon me," said wise little Marjorie.

VI.

MARJORIE ASLEEP AND AWAKE.

"She was made for happy thoughts."--_Mary Howlet._

I wonder if there is anything, any little thing I should have said, that
tries a woman more than the changes in her own face, a woman that has
just attained two score and--an unmarried woman. Prudence Pomeroy was
discovering these changes in her own face and, it may be undignified, it
may be unchristian even, but she was tried. It was upon the morning of
her fortieth birthday, that, with considerable shrinking, she set out
upon a voyage of discovery upon the unknown sea of her own countenance.
It was unknown, for she had not cared to look upon herself for some
years, but she bolted her chamber door and set herself about it with grim
determination this birthday morning. It was a weakness, it may be, but we
all have hours of weakness within our bolted chamber doors.

She had a hard early morning all by herself; but the battle with herself
did not commence until she shoved that bolt, pushed back the white
curtains, and stationed herself in the full glare of the sun light with
her hand-glass held before her resolute face. It was something to go
through; it was something to go through to read the record of a score of
birthdays past: but she had done that before the breakfast bell rang,
locked the old leathern bound volume in her trunk and arranged herself
for breakfast, and then had run down with her usual tripping step and
kept them all amused with her stories during breakfast time. But that was
before the door was bolted. She gazed long at the reflection of the face
that Ti