s. And it's bad for your teeth to eat so much sugar.
Why don't you save up, and put it to some really good use?"

"Such as frilling, and ribbons, and combs for the hair!" suggested Nan
slily, rolling her eyes at the younger girls, who chuckled in the
consciousness that Lilias had got her answer this time at least, since
every one knew well how her pocket-money went! "What is your idea of
something useful, my dear? We'd be pleased to take into consideration
any scheme which you may have to propose, but in its present form the
suggestion is somewhat vague."

"My dear child, you know as well as I do that there are a hundred
different ways. The only difficulty is to choose." Lilias stared out
of the window, trying hard to cudgel up one idea out of the specified
hundred, in case she should be pressed still further. That was the
worst of Nan, she always persisted on pushing a subject to the end.
"You--er--you might help the poor of the parish!"

"Just what we do! I heard the vicar say myself that Mrs Evans was a
striving little woman who ought to be supported. If we took away our
custom--"

"I mean the really poor. Mrs Evans would not shut up shop for the want
of your threepenny-pieces, but the Mission at Sale is always short of
funds. If you had a collecting-box, you could send in a subscription at
Christmas."

"`The Misses Margaret, Elsa, Agatha, and Christabel Rendell--four and
sixpence halfpenny,'" quoted Chrissie derisively. She marched across
the room and stationed herself with her back to the fire, her thin face
looking forth from a cloud of hair, an expression of dignified disdain
curling her lips. "How important it sounds, to be sure! It's all very
well talking about saving up, Lilias, but it's not so easy to do with
sixpence a week, and birthdays every month, and Christmas presents, and
pencils and indiarubbers, and always seeing fresh things in the shop-
windows that you want to buy. It's not that I wouldn't like to help: if
I had a sovereign, I'd give it at once, but I won't be put down in the
list for eighteenpence, and that's all I could save, if I tried, from
now to Christmas. I gave a threepenny-bit to old `Chairs to mend' only
last Saturday, and one the week before to a woman who was begging. I am
most charitably disposed!"

"So am I," agreed Agatha--"especially when it's cold. Rags wouldn't be
so bad in summer, but they must be awfully draughty in winter. And I
spend less in sweets t