ated, till a hasty movement by Eva, who
was the most enthusiastic of the four, was followed by a loud clatter on
the floor, which made them all start.

'I'm sorry; it's only my frying-pan,' she said, as she dived under the
table and brought out a parcel, off which the brown paper had fallen,
disclosing to view a large iron frying-pan.

Stella opened her beautiful eyes wide as she looked at it in wonder. Amy
only smiled; but Vava, impulsive as usual, exclaimed, 'What are you
doing with that old frying-pan? Do you have to cook your own dinner in
your office?'

'I should think not, indeed! I should like to see our boss's face if we
started making smells like that; besides, we don't need to; we get very
good lunches at this club,' cried Eva, trying to pack the despised
frying-pan up again in the paper; a futile attempt, as the wrapping was
all torn.

'Then what on earth are you carrying such a thing about with you for?'
demanded Amy, looking half-annoyed and half-amused.

'I brought it to show you all; it is for the new house!' she exclaimed
triumphantly.

'Which we have not got yet,' put in Amy.

'But it's old--old and dirty,' objected Vava, who had been looking at it
with disgust.

'That's only rust; it will clean off. I got it for threepence at an
East-End market; it is a tremendous bargain, and is the beginning of our
"save"--pots and pans are a most expensive item in house-furnishing; and
I am going to undertake that part of it myself, and get one article each
day. There was a splendid big iron kettle, with a hole in it, for
sixpence'----she said.

But a chorus of laughter stopped her in her list of bargains.

'I don't think I care about eating things fried in a pan coming from an
East-End market,' remarked Vava.

'And I don't see much good in a kettle with a hole in it,' said Stella;
but instead of being shocked, as Vava evidently was, she seemed rather
amused.

'It can easily be mended with solder, and sixpence is dirt-cheap for a
large iron kettle,' observed Eva.

'I should call it "cheap dirt," if you will excuse the bad joke; and,
seriously, Eva, it is very foolish spending your money on such rubbish;
shillings soon run away in that manner, and we want all our spare
shillings just now,' protested Amy Overall.

'You are an ungrateful set,' said Eva; but she put the frying-pan out of
sight, and listened seriously while the two elder girls talked over the
different houses proposed, and Miss Wharton