duck skirt and a muslin blouse. Her throat rose
like a slender column from the lace yoke of the blouse and her soft hair
was rolled into a loose knot on her neck.

"I know now she is a princess," said Mary.

Ben and Percy, returned from their search, had brought no news.

CHAPTER XV.

A WARNING.

The next day Billie had much difficulty in persuading Phoebe to put on
the beautiful pink linen.

"It is not right," Phoebe kept saying, although her eyes shone with a
new luster when she gazed at the pretty frock. "I am very grateful for
what you have done but you must not do too much. I am sure my father
would not approve of my accepting so many favors."

"Nonsense," exclaimed Billie. "Can't one girl lend another a few clothes
without its being called 'favors'? I shouldn't hesitate to borrow from
you, Phoebe, if I were--well--in your situation. And it seems to me that
this dress would be very becoming to you. It suits your complexion
better than mine because it matches your cheeks. I usually wear blue
but I was over-persuaded by Nancy-Bell to get pink."

In the end, Phoebe was induced to put on the pink dress. It had been
wonderful enough to wear a neatly fitted duck skirt and a lace-trimmed
blouse, but in this embroidered linen frock the color of wild roses
Phoebe was in a dream.

"Oh," she exclaimed, glancing at her flushed image in the mirror, "I
never understood that clothes would make so much difference. I feel like
someone else." She looked down at her white canvas pumps, which were, as
a matter of fact, a shade too long for her, although she had run
barefoot over the mountains. "And my feet look really small."

When Billy placed on her head a white Panama hat trimmed with a broad
band of black velvet, Phoebe's eyes filled with tears.

"Am I Phoebe?" she ejaculated. "Phoebe without a name, who lives in a
log house? Oh, Miss Campbell----"

"Not Miss Campbell," interrupted Billie. "You must call me Billie.
Aren't you my guest and almost the same age? Besides, I never recognize
myself with 'Miss' tucked on before my name."

"Billie, then," went on Phoebe, blushing because she had never known a
girl before to call by the first name. "Do you think it is right that I
should dress up so beautifully when--when my father is hidden away
somewhere?"

"But I feel perfectly sure he is safe," said Billie. "Perhaps someone
has told him it would be safer to keep away for a while."

"But why? He has never inj