returned her daughter, crossly.

"Is he coming soon again?" questioned Mrs. Pendleton, anxiously.

"I don't know," replied Sally; adding, slowly: "When I tried to find out
when he would call again, he seemed annoyed, and replied, curtly: 'That
will be hard for me to determine, Miss Pendleton. You must remember that
those in my profession have few leisure hours.' He would not set a time.
I had to let the matter rest at that."

"He is not very much in love, then, I fear, my dear Sally," said her
mother, reflectively. "Still, bad beginnings often make good endings.
But I had almost forgotten to tell you the startling news, my dear,"
added Mrs. Pendleton, hastily. "Your aunt, Sally Rogers, is here. Louisa
is entertaining her up in her _boudoir_. You must not be surprised, or
show too much amusement when you see her. She is a sight. We would be
eternally disgraced if the neighbors were to see her. She is fairly
covered with rags--yes, rags! There are holes in her shoes; there never
was such a bonnet worn since the time of the ark; and as for gloves, she
disdains such an article of feminine attire altogether. I do not think
one will have to wait long to come into possession of her fortune. But
run up to your sister's room and greet old Miss Sally as affectionately
as possible."

Sally was rather glad of this intelligence, for it prevented her from
having a very bad case of the blues in thinking over her lover's
coldness, and how irksome this betrothal was to him.

She found her sister doing her utmost to entertain the most grotesque
little old woman she had ever beheld. Her mother's description had
certainly not been overdrawn.

Sally felt like bursting into uproarious laughter the moment her eyes
fell upon Miss Rogers, and it was only by a most superhuman effort she
controlled herself from letting her rising mirth get the better of her.

"Dear me, _is_ this, _can_ this be jolly little Sally Pendleton, as you
used to sign the merry letters you wrote to me?" asked Miss Rogers,
stopping short in some remark she was making to Louisa, and gazing hard
at the slender, girlish figure that had just appeared on the threshold.

"Yes, it is I, Sally Pendleton," responded the girl, coming quickly
forward. "I just heard you were here, aunt, and I want to tell you how
delighted, enraptured, overjoyed I am to see you," she added, throwing
her arms around the bundle of rags which inclosed the thin little old
maid, with a bear-like h