ed Mr Lennox, 'Emerald's baptismal name is Ronald. That is
all--five Flower Girls, five Precious Stones, first cousins and the
best of friends, even as sisters and brothers. But my Flower Girls
must be off to bed without a single moment's further delay.
Good-night.'

'"Scots wha hae,"' sang Hollyhock, as she danced lightly up the stairs
of the big house. 'I guess, Flowers, that we are about to have a right
_grand_ time.'

'Never mind that now,' said Jasmine. 'Whatever happens, the Precious
Stones will help us.'

'That's true,' cried Hollyhock. 'Talk to me of fear! I fear nought,
nor nobody. The lads, I'm thinking, will be coming to _me_ to help
them, if there's fear walking around.'

She looked so bold and bright and daring as she spoke that the other
Flower Girls believed her at that moment.

CHAPTER II.

AUNT AGNES DELACOUR

Miss Delacour was an elderly woman with somewhat coarse gray hair. She
was not old, but elderly. She had a very broad figure, plump and
well-proportioned. Miss Delacour thought little about so trivial a
thing as fashion, or mere dress in any shape or form. She was fond of
saying that she was as the Almighty made her, and that clothes were
nothing but a snare of the flesh.

Agnes Delacour was exceedingly well off, but she lived in a very small
house in Chelsea, and gave of her abundance to those whom she called
'the Lord's poor.' Her charities were many and wide-spread, and on
that account she was highly esteemed by numbers of people, either very
poor or struggling, in that upper class which needs help so much, and
gets it so little. To these people Agnes Delacour gave freely, saving
many young people from utter ruin by her timely aid, and drawing down
on her devoted head the blessings of their fathers and mothers, who
spoke of her as one of the Lord's saints. Nevertheless those who knew
Miss Delacour really well did _not_ love her. She was too cold, too
masterful, for their taste, and these folks would rather live in great
difficulties than accept her bounty.

After the death of her young half-sister, Lucy Cameron, who had
married, against Miss Delacour's desire, the Hon. George Lennox, Miss
Delacour took no notice whatsoever of the five sweet little daughters
her half-sister had brought into the world. Miss Delacour left the
broken-hearted widower and his little girls to their sorrow, not even
answering the letters which for a short time the children, by their
f