large and round at the mere thought of so dreadful a
possibility.

"Oh my!" said Esther calmly, as she put the last finishing touches to her
hair, "wouldn't it have been dreadful! Don't let's think about it."

Esther had put on her best frock and an old muslin fichu about her
shoulders. The fichu was one her mother had thrown away long ago, and
Esther had rescued. It was old, but it looked quite pretty and
picturesque over her plain red frock. Poppy was better off than the
others. She owned a little soft, white silk frock, which still looked
festive and partyfied, in spite of frequent washings and not too careful
ironings. Her pretty dark hair Esther tied with her own best rose-pink
hair-ribbon. "Now if I had only got a sash for you, dear, your frock
would look lovely."

"Never mind," said Poppy cheerfully. "I will wear my locket." From her
jewel-case, as she called it, she took carefully a thread-like gold chain
and a tiny old-fashioned gold locket; it had an anchor on one side and
held two photographs. Poppy did not know whose photographs they were, and
no one had ever been able to tell her, but she would not have had them
removed for any consideration whatever. The other contents of her
jewel-case were a large green malachite brooch in the shape of a Maltese
cross, a tiny silver pig, and a broken gold safety-pin; but no child ever
possessed treasures more greatly prized.

Before the toilette was complete Penelope and Angela came in, looking very
neat and nice, and then an anxious consultation was held as to whether
they ought to go down or wait until the bell rang. They compromised by
going half-way and sitting on the stairs. The last few minutes did seem
very long, for they were ravenous again by that time; but so prompt was
Anna that before the clock began to strike the hour she came to the
kitchen door, and had just begun to make a terrific clanging with the bell
when they ran through from the inner hall.

"Well! 'tis a compliment, sure enough," she said, with a beaming smile,
"when folks comes and waits outside for the doors to open. Come along in
then, my dears. 'Tis all ready."

Anna was in her best frock with her Band of Hope scarf on, and looked
flushed and pleased, and no wonder, for the kitchen looked beautiful.
It was decorated with no fewer than twenty nosegays of flowers, arranged
on the dressers and mantelpiece and every available space in jugs and pots
and vases of every descriptio