uch a
change in her. Ben took glowing accounts to Delia; and although she felt
hurt and sore over the coolness of the Underhills, she did not abate one
jot of her love for Ben.

She had been very busy arranging Nora's wardrobe, and now most of the
care of the house devolved upon her. Mrs. Whitney would read for hours
to Aunt Patty; often the old lady went soundly asleep. To be sure,
matters were not attended to with the niceness of Mrs. Underhill; but
Barbara was a treasure with her German neatness, and Bridget kept her
kitchen at sixes and sevens. Mr. Theodore brought home one guest or
three, with the same indifference; and if Ben's mother could have seen
the cheerful manner in which Delia hurried about and arranged the table
on short notice, she must have modified her opinion a little. Theodore
was quite negligent about money-matters as well. Sometimes he was very
lavish; then he would declare he was "dead broke," and she must do the
best she could. Three or four of his friends would be in about ten, and
couldn't she fix up a bit of something?

Sometimes she ran a little in debt; but when the good times came, she
was only too eager to get matters straight. And she was so bright and
gay with it all, and made Ben's visits so pleasant, that he sometimes
forgot there was any trouble.

She had said decisively that they could not marry yet awhile; and Ben
had accepted her fiat. But they did begin to plan for the journey
abroad, and had a good deal of entertainment counting the cost, and
considering where they would go.

"I should so like to see Daisy Jasper," she said.

"I will ask her to come down," answered Ben.

But Dolly invited them both up one Saturday, when Hanny and Daisy were
to be there to tea. And Daisy told Delia about meeting Nora, and how
happy she was in her new prospects.

She had been a little homesick, she wrote to Delia, but only for a few
hours at a time. Madame Clavier was as careful as any mother could be,
fussy, she thought sometimes; but no doubt it was for her good.

Daisy was very attractive to the children until Delia came, when they
deserted their new friend for stories. Delia had not lost her girlish
gift.

The Jaspers were a month making up their minds what to do, and then
decided to board until spring at least. Joe found them a very pleasant
place in their neighbourhood, to Hanny's delight. She was so glad to get
her dear friend back again, sweet and unchanged; not but what she had