n
account of her dresses, and that would simply never do. Yes, there seems
nothing for it but to visit my uncle, the pawnbroker."

Annie presently laid her head on her pillow and went to sleep.

When she awoke in the morning she still thought an appeal to the
pawnbroker the only available solution of her difficulty. The girls were
much excited about their gay shopping, and the landau was ordered to be
round at an early hour to convey Hester, Nan, Molly, and Annie to
Nortonbury. Nora had to resign herself to the company of her nurse, but
her thoughts were so full of pleasurable anticipations that under the
circumstances she did not mind the loss of her favourite Annie.

Before starting, Annie ran quickly round to Mrs. Martin's rooms.

"Here I am," she exclaimed in her bright way. "I have just rushed up to
say good morning to you before we start. You have heard of all the fun
that we are going to have, haven't you, nursey?"

"Folly, I call it," said nurse. "Throwing away good money on fallals and
wings and clouds. Miss Nan was up here last night so late that I
thought I'd never get her to bed, bamboozling me with stories of all the
children round the country being turned into fairies, which you know,
Miss Annie, is sheer nonsense and impossible to do, and Miss Nora, who
has narrowly escaped her death, is to lie on rose leaves with clouds
under her. The folly of it is beyond belief, even if it can be done,
which I sincerely hope it can't. In old days people took their pleasures
properly. Children were kept in the nursery and were sent early to bed,
and young ladies were presented to her Gracious Majesty the Queen, and
then went to balls in good stiff silks and no wings nor clouds about
'em. They met the gentlemen they were to marry at the balls, and then
there was a proper wedding breakfast and all the rest, as it should be.
I don't hold with the scarum days of the present."

"Look here, nursey," exclaimed Annie, "the fairies will look lovely, and
I'll show you myself how innocent and simple the clouds are, and as to
the wings, I'll make a pair for you if you like."

"No, thank you, Miss Annie, I hope I know what's due to myself."

"Well, I must run away," continued Annie. "You know we're just off to
Nortonbury."

"So I hear, miss."

"It was to Nortonbury you went when you sold my ring; you were a dear to
do it."

"I wouldn't do it for no one else, miss, and I don't know even now how I
came to demean myself by