rest adornments of a young girl.

"These will not be lacking," she said to herself. "My Bessie's
unobtrusive goodness will soon make itself felt."

Bessie had made up her mind not to trouble about her scanty wardrobe,
and she was quite happy planning the nun's-cloth dress with Christine.

But though Dr. Lambert said nothing, he thought a great deal, and the
result of his cogitations was, a five-pound note was slipped into
Bessie's hand the next evening.

"Go and buy yourself some finery with that," he observed quietly.

Bessie could hardly sleep that night, she was so busy spending the money
in anticipation; and the very next day she was the delighted purchaser
of a new spring jacket and had laid out the remainder of the five-pound
note in a useful black and white tweed for daily use, and a pretty lilac
cotton, and she had even eked out a pair of gloves.

Three dresses to be made; no wonder they were busy; even Mrs. Lambert
was pressed into the service to sew over seams and make buttonholes.

Hatty never complained her back ached when she worked for Bessie; her
thin little hands executed marvelous feats of fine workmanship; all the
finer parts were intrusted to Hatty.

"I feel almost as though I were going to be married," observed Bessie,
as she surveyed the fresh, dainty dresses. "I never had more than one
new gown at a time. Now they are finished, and you are tired, Hatty, and
you must go and lie down, like a good child."

"I am not tired, not a bit," returned Hatty touchily; "and I am going
out with Ella."

Bessie held her peace. Hatty's temper had been very trying for the last
three days; she had slaved for Bessie to the detriment of her health,
but had worn an injured manner all the time.

She would not join in the conversation, nor understand a joking remark.
When Christine laughed at her in a good-humored way, Hatty pursed up her
lips, and drew herself up in a huffy manner, and would not condescend to
speak a word. She even rejected Bessie's caresses and little attempts at
petting. "Don't, Bessie. I must go on with my work; I wish you would
leave me alone," she would say pettishly.

Bessie did leave her alone, but it made her heart ache to see the lines
under Hatty's eyes, that showed she had cried herself to sleep. She knew
it was unhappiness and not temper that was the cause of her
irritability.

"She is ashamed of letting me know that she cannot bear me to go away,"
she thought. "She is trying t