ng off into fits of laughter. "We want a hat for my
_mother_. That's only my sister!"

The shop-lady looked vexed, and Radmore felt awkward. He realised that he
and Betty had been taken for husband and wife, Timmy for their spoilt
little boy.

"I'm quite sure I could find something that would suit Janet," exclaimed
Betty, hastily taking off the delightful bit of headgear.

She put on the motor bonnet again, and then she went over to where a
black garden hat, with just one rose on the brim, and with long blue
velvet strings, was lying on a table.

"I think Timmy's mother would look very nice in this," she said smiling.

The black hat was slipped into a big paper-bag, and handed to Timmy. Then
Radmore exclaimed: "Now then, we've no time to lose! Help your sister
into the car, Timmy, while I stop behind and pay the bill."

The bill did not take a minute to make out, and Radmore was rather
surprised to find that the three hats--for he bought three--cost him not
far short of fifteen pounds between them, though the lady observed
pleasantly, "Of course I can afford to sell my hats at a _much_ less
price than London people charge."

To Betty's eyes, Godfrey looked rather funny when he came out of the gay
little painted door with a flower-covered bandbox slung over his right
arm.

She had thought it just a little mean that the shop-woman should give
Timmy Janet's hat in a paper-bag. Though Betty would have been horrified
indeed at the prices paid by Radmore, she yet suspected that "The
Bandbox" lady asked quite enough for her pretty wares to be able to throw
in a cardboard box, so "Is that for Janet's hat?" she called out.

"This," he said, looking up at her, "is that queer-looking brown thing
with the blue feather that suited you so well. Of course I meant you to
have it too."

Betty felt at once disturbed, and yet, absurdly pleased. "I'm afraid it
was very expensive," she began. And then suddenly Radmore told himself
that after all the poke bonnet had been cheap indeed if the thought of it
could bring such a sparkle into Betty's eyes, and such a vivid while
delicate colour to her cheeks.

There came a day, as a matter of fact the day when Betty wore that
quaint-looking bonnet for the first time, when she did venture to ask
Godfrey what it had cost. He refused to tell her, simply saying that
whatever he had paid he had had the best of the bargain as it had been
worth its weight in gold. Even so it is very unlikely