et Mattie be kind to them instead of you? In a
parish like Hadleigh you need to be careful. Mother is calling me, so
I will just close this with my fondest love.

"GRACE."

Archie threw down the letter with a frown. For the first time he was
annoyed with Grace.

Nan and her sisters rash and designing! "Odd young ladies"! She was
sorry they had established themselves at Hadleigh! It was really too
bad of Grace to condemn them in this fashion. But of course it must be
Mattie's fault: she had written a pack of nonsense, exaggerating
things as much as possible.

Poor Mattie would have had to bear the brunt of his wrath as usual,
only, as he turned to her with the frown black on his forehead, his
eyes caught sight of her dress. Hitherto the room had been very dimly
lighted; but now, as he looked at her in the soft lamplight, his anger
vanished in amazement.

"Why, Mattie, what have you done to yourself? We are not expecting
company this evening: it is nearly ten o'clock."

Mattie blushed and laughed, and then she actually bridled with
pleasure:

"Oh, no, Archie; of course not. I only put on my new dress just to see
how it would fit; and then I thought you might like to see it. It is
the one uncle gave me; and is it not beautifully made? I am sure Mrs.
Cheyne's dresses never fit better. You and Grace may say what you like
about the Challoners, but if they can make dresses like this, it would
be tempting Providence not to use such a talent, and just because they
were too fine ladies to work."

"I do believe you are right, Mattie," returned Archie, in a low voice.
"Turn round and let me look at you, girl. Do you mean--that she--that
they made that?"

Mattie nodded as she slowly pivoted on one foot, and then revolved
like the figures one used to see on old-fashioned barrel-organs; then,
as she stood still, she panted out the words,--

"Is it not just lovely, Archie?" for in all the thirty years of her
unassuming life Mattie had never had such a dress, so no wonder her
head was a little turned.

"Yes, indeed; I like it excessively," was Archie's comment; and then
he added, with the delicious frankness common to brothers, "It makes
you look quite a different person, Mattie: you are almost nice-looking
to-night."

"Oh, thank you, dear!" cried poor Mattie, quite moved by this
compliment; for if Archie thought her almost nice-looking he must be
pleased wit