r, where she had seated herself, and, going to a
drawer, opened it. She took out a little leather box, and looked
anxiously at its contents. There were a few treasures there, dear from
association, but not of a valuable sort. There was a silver brooch,
shaped like a horn, with a little bell attached; a schoolfellow had
brought it to her from Switzerland; it probably cost a franc, and,
although Annie admired it immensely on her neck, she did not believe any
jeweller would give her sixpence for it. Then there was a basket
beautifully carved out of an apricot-stone, and a narrow silver chain
broken in many parts; and there was a bog-oak brooch and an old jet
bracelet. Annie also possessed a gold locket and chain which she had won
as a prize on a certain memorable occasion, but this treasure she had
also stupidly left behind her. How provoking! She had really nothing she
could sell for thirty shillings. But stay, she had forgotten. She
coloured high as a memory came to her. She had one article of solid
value--a ring. In one sense it was not hers; in another it was. It was a
gold ring, with a single diamond; this ring had belonged to Annie
Forest's mother. On her dying bed she had given the ring to Mrs. Willis.
One day Mrs. Willis had shown it to Annie, had yielded to Annie's
entreaties that she might borrow it for this visit to the Grange, and
had told her that, although she could not part with her mother's last
gift during her lifetime, she would leave the ring to Annie in her will.

With her dark eyes full of excitement, Annie now took the ring out of
its little morocco case and looked at it.

She had meant to wear it proudly on her finger during her stay at the
Grange; but, in the excitement of passing events, had forgotten to do so
up to the present time. The ring was of value; no one had seen it on her
finger, therefore no one would miss it. It occurred to Annie that she
might ask a jeweller to lend her thirty shillings on the ring. With this
thirty shillings she could buy the stuff for Nora's frocks; and as her
father always sent her a pound on her birthday, and that birthday was
only a little over a month away, she thought that she might manage to
scrape together thirty shillings to redeem the ring before she returned
to school.

Annie's mind was quickly made up. She would pawn the ring to someone,
and trust to her lucky star to get it back before she returned to
Lavender House. She knew well that Mrs. Willis would